Artist's sketches help public see proceedings

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) may have banned live video coverage of the high-profile murder trial of Datu Unsay town Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., but the public was still able to get a glimpse of court proceedings through the sketches of 26-year-old Ala Paredes.

Paredes, a graduate of the Sydney Design Institute in Australia, said the job of sketching the trial of Ampatuan Jr., chief suspect in the massacre of 57 people including 30 journalists last November, was a patriotic duty she could not ignore.

“It’s public service. I just want to capture the moment. I think this is my own way of giving public service especially when media can’t be there. I didn’t think of saying no,” said Paredes, the daughter of Filipino singer-songwriter Jim Paredes.

The SC’s call to sketch Ampatuan Jr.’s court appearance “came on the eve of the trial itself,” Paredes said.

“No price was discussed,” she said, adding that she readily agreed.

Paredes produced five accurate sketches of the court proceedings, all straightforward and emotionless - except for one showing Ampatuan Jr. sitting on a courtroom bench and looking back at spectators with a mixture of resentment and suspicion.

The trial was presided over by Quezon City Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of Regional Trial Court Branch 221 and held at the Police Non-Commission Office (PNCO) hall, which was converted into a courtroom inside Camp Crame in Quezon City as ordered by the SC for security reasons.

“I tried to capture certain moments, like when Ampatuan looked behind his shoulder and he did it only once during the entire hearing,” Paredes said. The hearing, which covered the arraignment and the initial hearing for Ampatuan’s petition for bail, lasted about two hours.

Aside from a sketch when Ampatuan was looking back, Paredes also sketched Judge Solis-Reyes, NBI official lawyer Ricardo Diaz while he was in the witness stand.

Another sketch showed Ampatuan standing closely with his lawyer Sigfrid Fortun facing Judge Solis-Reyes and a court staff during the arraignment.

During an interview with reporters, Paredes revealed that she was asked by her friend Durrane Lim, an SC employee, to do the sketch for the Ampatuan hearing hours before the court proceedings.

When asked how she prepared for the job on such short notice, Paredes said she sharpened her pencils, researched on the Internet and prayed.

“I did pray for this special job. I’m supposed to be a witness... for the people,” Paredes told reporters.

“I heard the news in Sydney and was deeply affected. At a time when the nation is grieving, I feel like this is my way of getting involved,” said Paredes, who graduated last December.

“This is basically my first job,” she said.

Paredes said a friend who learned she could illustrate the proceedings jokingly asked her to demonize Ampatuan Jr.’s image.

“I thought I will be affected but I told myself it is just a job to do,” said Paredes, who confessed that it was her first time to be in a courtroom.

Paredes is here only for a vacation, and is set to leave for Sydney on Jan. 13 and could not answer with certainty if she would still sketch for the entire trial. With AFP