Court admits evidence vs Ampatuan bail pleas

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City judge handling the Maguindanao massacre trial has ruled to admit evidence in opposition to bail petitions filed by two sons and a son-in-law of former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.

In a 37-page order released yesterday, Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes allowed the admission over 300 exhibits and testimonies in formal offers of evidence against the bail petitions of Sajid Islam, Anwar Sr. and Akmad.

Sajid Islam and Anwar Sr. are the sons of Ampatuan Sr. while Akmad is the clan patriarch’s nephew and son-in-law.

The order resolved the prosecution panel’s formal offer of evidence – filed on April 15, 2013 – on the bail petition on the initial 57 counts of murder. It came weeks after the court resolved similar formal offers on the bail petition of Andal Sr. and his son Zaldy.

Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes earlier admitted evidence in opposition to the bail petition of primary accused Andal Jr.

In her order, Solis-Reyes said the court deems it proper to maintain status quo due to the pendency of several motions involving witnesses before the Court of Appeals.

“However, considering that the resolution of the above incident cannot be expected so soon, the Court likewise claims it proper not to await the resolution thereof, and resolve the instant formal offer of evidence in order not to further delay the proceedings in the cases,” she added.

Like in the earlier rulings, Solis-Reyes ruled to admit the complaint-affidavit of former Buluan vice mayor and now Maguindanao governor Esmael Mangudadatu. His wife, Genalyn, and relatives were among the 58 people – 32 of them media practitioners – who died in the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre.

Also admitted as evidence were sworn statements of various witnesses, as well as the medico-legal reports, autopsy pictures, and anatomical sketches of the cadavers of the witnesses.

The judge also ruled to admit various records from telecommunications companies and testimonies of their representatives.