Cotabato court orders release of massacre suspect

MANILA, Philippines - A Cotabato regional trial court (RTC) judge has ordered the release of a suspect claiming to be mistakenly arrested for the Maguindanao massacre, the Quezon City court handling the multiple murder case was informed yesterday.

In a nine-page motion, defense lawyer Andres Manuel asked Quezon City RTC Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes to take judicial notice of the rulings issued by Cotabato RTC Branch 13 Judge Bansawan Ibrahim on a petition for habeas corpus filed by Talembo Kahar Abdulrahman.

Abdulrahman, identified by authorities as suspect Talembo Masukat, is currently detained at the Quezon City Jail Annex. He is set to be arraigned today for the 57 counts of murder filed in connection with the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre.

Manuel asked Solis-Reyes to defer further proceedings.

In two orders, dated Feb. 23 and March 25, Ibrahim granted Abdulrahman’s petition and ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to release him.

The judge also denied with finality a motion for reconsideration filed by ARMM-CIDU regional chief Superintendent Leo Estavillo Quevedo.

He said Abdulrahman – a former councilor of Mamasapano town in Maguindanao – was able to establish his identity with his voter’s identification card and passport.

Quevedo, in returning the arrest warrant to the Quezon City court, said the suspect was arrested in Mamasapano on Feb. 16 for an unrelated shooting.

He said two witnesses identified him as Masukat, a close aide of Bahnarin Ampatuan and a former driver of Rebecca Ampatuan.

Bahnarin, the former mayor of Mamasapano, was among the initial 197 suspects in the massacre. He is a grandson of clan patriarch former Maguindanao governor Andal Sr. Rebecca is the eldest daughter of Andal Sr.

Quevedo said a P300,000 reward was offered for Masukat’s arrest.