MANILA, Philippines — The 45 plunder and graft cases on "pork barrel" scam against three sitting senators were raffled off to three separate Sandiganbayan divisions on Friday morning.
The third division will handle the plunder and graft charges against Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile.
The Office of the Ombudsman's cases against Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla, meanwhile, will be handled by the first division.
Cases against Senator Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada will be under the anti-graft court's fifth division.
The fourth division chaired by Associate Justice Gregory Ong officially inhibited from the cases due to allegations of his links to businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, another plunder respondent.
Sandiganbayan spokesman Renato Bocar said in a radio interview that the magistrates are given 10 days to study the cases and release the arrest warrant.
Ong said, meanwhile, there will be a new raffle if the Supreme Court decides to create special divisions to handle and hear the controversial cases.
Earlier, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales asked Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno for new divisions exclusively for cases on the embezzlement of billions in Priority Development Assistance Funds in a bid to expedite their resolution.
The STAR reported, however, that most Sandiganbayan justices are not in favor of special courts as they were asked by the high court to comment on the request.
Read: Most justices not in favor of special courts
Sandiganbayan justices reportedly prefer to handle PDAF cases in the same manner as other cases.
The chief magistrate also cautioned the public from wanting a swift trial in corruption cases, saying that due process should still be observed despite the clamor.
"While it is right for us to be vigilant to make sure everybody will be held accountable – no matter (what) their political colors may be – let us not unduly rush the process and instead allow the provisions in the Constitution and the laws to prevail," Sereno said Thursday in the Independence Day rites in Kawit, Cavite.
Also read: CJ shuns shortcuts, pushes rule of law in corruption cases