Massacre suspect seeks lower bail

MANILA, Philippines - A suspect in the Maguindanao massacre has asked a Quezon City judge handling the multiple murder case to reduce the P11.6-million bail set by the court in exchange for his temporary freedom.

Police Officer 2 Saudiar Ulah urged Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes to allow him to post bail of only P600,000.

Yasser Lumbos, lawyer for Ulah, said the court should recognize the three-fold rule under Article 70 of the Revised Penal Code, which he said should be “applied by analogy” for the purposes of bail.

Under the provision, the maximum duration of a sentence should not be more than three times longer than the penalty imposed.

“There is definitely no wisdom in compelling the accused to post bail for the 58 counts of the crime charged,” Lumbos said.

Ulah, like the rest of the accused in the 2009 Maguindanao bloodbath, is facing 58 counts of murder.

Lumbos said his client should post bail for no more than three counts of murder, or a total of P600,000.

The court set a bail of P200,000 for each count of murder, for a total  amount of P11.6 million.

Ulah is among 43 defendants allowed by the court to post bail. Only one of them, former Maguindanao officer-in-charge Sajid Islam Ampatuan, was able to pay the multimillion-peso bail.