QC judge inhibits from Andal Jr. multiple murder case
12/15/2009 | 08:23 PM
It only took Judge Luisito Cortez of Quezon City a few minutes to decide that he should not handle the murder cases of the man allegedly behind the massacre of at least 57 people in Maguindanao province last month.
“What is glory without a family," said Cortez of QC Regional Trial Court Branch 84 when told that the case against Andal Ampatuan Jr., a member of a powerful political clan in Maguindanao, could be the “trial of the century" in the country.
Cortez cited the safety of his family and staff as one of the reasons behind his decision, which he did minutes after learning that the case was raffled to his sala.
He also cited the other sensation case he is handling – the two counts of murder filed against former Abra Governor Vicente Valera for the killing of Abra Rep. Luis Bersamin and his bodyguard in 2006 – as another reason behind his decision.
In his motion for inhibition, Cortez also said he had survived an ambush try when he was a still a presiding judge in Bulacan province.
The QCRTC raffle committee under Vice Executive Judge Fernando Sagun, for its part, accepted “in principle" Cortez’s inhibition following an emergency meeting Tuesday. It also agreed to reshuffle the case Wednesday.
Ampatuans
Andal Jr., the mayor of Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao, is currently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) compound in Manila to face the 40 counts of murder filed against him in connection with the Nov. 23 massacre, which is considered as the worst political violence in the country.
Among the victims were female members of the rival Mangudadatu clan and 30 journalists.
Security officials said the Ampatuans are in command of thousands of heavily armed men, most of them members the Civilian Volunteers Organization (CVO) serve the clan as their private army.
Several members of the Ampatuans, including its patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr., are facing rebellion charges for allegedly ordering their men to stage an uprising against the government.
The Supreme Court allowed the transfer of the case to Quezon City from Cotabato upon the request of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which cited security reasons.
Special raffle
The raffle committee conducted the special raffle of the case Tuesday morning at the sala of Executive Judge Ofelia Marquez of Branch 216. The other members of the committee were Judge Bernelito Fernandez, 2nd vice executive judge; Judge Vivencio Baclig, 3rd vice executive judge; and Judge Maria Alba-Estoesta.
The raffle was witnessed by Judge Marquez, who is now on leave; Task Force Ampatuan head Superintendent Jefferson Soriano; QC Police District director Superintendent Elmo San Diego; and QC Chief Prosecutor Claro Arellano.
The proceedings, which started with the centennial prayer, started at exactly 10 a.m. wherein Judge Sagun explained first how the proceedings would be held.
Before the raffle, the committee excluded from the raffle the salas handling family court cases, drug cases, commercial courts, five of the regular courts that have no assigned judge, and three other courts whose judges are on leave.
Of the total 42 QCRTC courts, only 21 of them are regular courts where the Ampatuan case could be raffled. - KBK, GMANews.TV
“What is glory without a family," said Cortez of QC Regional Trial Court Branch 84 when told that the case against Andal Ampatuan Jr., a member of a powerful political clan in Maguindanao, could be the “trial of the century" in the country.
Cortez cited the safety of his family and staff as one of the reasons behind his decision, which he did minutes after learning that the case was raffled to his sala.
He also cited the other sensation case he is handling – the two counts of murder filed against former Abra Governor Vicente Valera for the killing of Abra Rep. Luis Bersamin and his bodyguard in 2006 – as another reason behind his decision.
In his motion for inhibition, Cortez also said he had survived an ambush try when he was a still a presiding judge in Bulacan province.
The QCRTC raffle committee under Vice Executive Judge Fernando Sagun, for its part, accepted “in principle" Cortez’s inhibition following an emergency meeting Tuesday. It also agreed to reshuffle the case Wednesday.
Ampatuans
Andal Jr., the mayor of Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao, is currently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) compound in Manila to face the 40 counts of murder filed against him in connection with the Nov. 23 massacre, which is considered as the worst political violence in the country.
Among the victims were female members of the rival Mangudadatu clan and 30 journalists.
Security officials said the Ampatuans are in command of thousands of heavily armed men, most of them members the Civilian Volunteers Organization (CVO) serve the clan as their private army.
Several members of the Ampatuans, including its patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr., are facing rebellion charges for allegedly ordering their men to stage an uprising against the government.
The Supreme Court allowed the transfer of the case to Quezon City from Cotabato upon the request of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which cited security reasons.
Special raffle
The raffle committee conducted the special raffle of the case Tuesday morning at the sala of Executive Judge Ofelia Marquez of Branch 216. The other members of the committee were Judge Bernelito Fernandez, 2nd vice executive judge; Judge Vivencio Baclig, 3rd vice executive judge; and Judge Maria Alba-Estoesta.
The raffle was witnessed by Judge Marquez, who is now on leave; Task Force Ampatuan head Superintendent Jefferson Soriano; QC Police District director Superintendent Elmo San Diego; and QC Chief Prosecutor Claro Arellano.
The proceedings, which started with the centennial prayer, started at exactly 10 a.m. wherein Judge Sagun explained first how the proceedings would be held.
Before the raffle, the committee excluded from the raffle the salas handling family court cases, drug cases, commercial courts, five of the regular courts that have no assigned judge, and three other courts whose judges are on leave.
Of the total 42 QCRTC courts, only 21 of them are regular courts where the Ampatuan case could be raffled. - KBK, GMANews.TV
