3 more accused in Maguindanao massacre plead not guilty

MANILA, Philippines - Three more accused in the  Maguindanao massacre case pleaded not guilty to charges of multiple murder in their arraignment on Wednesday at the sala of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes inside the Quezon City Jail Annex in Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan inTaguig City.

Pleading not guilty were Fahad Utto alias “Richard Gofel,” Abedin Alamada, alias “Kumander Bedi” and Jonathan Ampatuan.

The accused were assisted by Laquindab Marohombsar who was appointed by the court to be their counsel. The court has set the preliminary conference of their case on April 29 with the preliminary trial to be held on May 20.

A total of 90 accused have been so far arraigned in connection with the 2009 massacre case including former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., his son, Andal, and another son, Zaldy, the former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Meanwhile, the court also ordered the arraignment on May 22 of former Mamasapano, Maguindanao town councilor Talembo Masukat next month despite the pending habeas corpus petition filed by his lawyers to defer the proceedings.

Masukat was apprehended last February 16 after he and several armed men engaged security forces in a firefight in a remote village in Mamasapano town.

The Department of Justice tagged Masukat as one of the trusted aides of Bahnarin Ampatuan, the former mayor of Mamasapano and also one of the accused in the massacre.