Ampatuans want Army official's testimony deferred

MANILA, Philippines - A lawyer of Andal Ampatuan Sr. and Andal Ampatuan Jr. has asked the court to defer the testimony of an Army official.

Philip Sigfrid Fortun told the Regional Trial Court Branch 221 that Captain Gundayao is not on the pre-trial order list of witnesses and evidence after the prosecution, led by Assistant Regional State Prosecutor Peter Medalle, announced that they would present the Army official, only known by his surname, as a witness tomorrow.

Fortun said this was the same situation as that of Gemma Oquendo, sister of victim and lawyer Cynthia Oquendo, and a forensic expert of the National Bureau of Investigation, whose testimonies were deferred recently. He said the court had yet to resolve his earlier pleading questioning these two “additional witnesses.”