Court questions expertise of prosecution witness

MANILA, Philippines – The Quezon City judge hearing the Maguindanao massacre case questioned the expertise of a ballistician presented by the prosecution after he failed to produce documents to prove his knowledge and skill in the field.

“He should have at least brought with him his resume,” Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes told Assistant State Prosecutor Nestor Lazaro when he presented Elmer Nelson Piedad, a ballistician from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) at today's hearing.

Reyes also told Lazaro that even if Piedad received the subpoena yesterday afternoon, he has still time to prepare the documents he would bring when he takes the witness stand.

"He should have prepared these documents after learning that he would be testifying today," the judge said.

Early in his testimony, Piedad told the court that he was called in to testify in 100 cases and done over 2,000 ballistics examinations.

He also said that he examined the slugs and metal fragments recovered from the bodies of the victims of the carnage.

But in the absence of any documents or certifications to prove his claim, the court held in abeyance declaring the expertise of the witness.

During cross examination by defense lawyer Sigfrid Fortun, Piedad admitted having not attended any refresher course or training seminars regarding ballistics examination.

For his part, Assistant City Prosecutor Ramoncito Ocampo Jr., the newest member of the prosecution panel, said the judge has given Piedad a chance to bring the documents to prove his expertise in the field of ballistics. 

"The judge, without any objection from the defense, has given us a chance to produce those in the next hearing," Ocampo said.