From house to court, cops guard lady judge in Ampatuan case

She has continued to refuse being provided with security. But the lady judge hearing the case against the prime suspect in the massacre believed to be the worst election-related violence in Philippine history has no choice. Night and day, authorities will ensure the safety of Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes at least until she renders judgment on the multiple murder charges slapped against Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. “Ayaw niya magpa-escort, but we insist. (Sabi niya), gugulo ang buhay niya dahil sa escort. (She does not want to be escorted, but we insist. She said police escorts would only mess up her life.)," Chief Superintendent Elmo San Diego, head of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), said in an interview with radio dzRH on Tuesday. In another report on Tuesday, radio dzBB said San Diego had explained to the judge that securing her “is the exclusive responsibility" of the QCPD. Authorities are now keeping an eye on Reyes from her house to her sala, with female police personnel acting as the judge’s close-in security. Police are also ensuring the safety of her staff. Even the Quezon City Hall of Justice, where Reyes reports for work, is being guarded by cops. “Yan ang responsibility ng Quezon City police. Hanggang matapos, exclusive responsibility namin (Securing the judge is the responsibility of the Quezon City police. Until this case is resolved, our responsibility will not end)," he said. Meanwhile, the judge received a morale booster from her alma mater hours before presiding over the first trial on the case. The University of Santo Tomas (UST) community called on Filipinos to offer prayers and support for Reyes as she handles the case amid risks to her safety. “The UST Community assures (Judge Reyes) of its continuing prayers for divine protection and guidance so she can effectively and credibly handle this difficult case. May she carry on the almost 400-year-old tradition of greatness set by countless alumni of UST who, in their unostentatious way, have lived up to the ideals and teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas," it said in a “statement of appreciation" placed as advertisement in Metro Manila newspapers. Reyes, an alumna of the UST Faculty of Civil Law, took over the case from Quezon City Regional Trial Court - Branch 84 Judge Luisito Cortez, who had refused to handle it due to security concerns. “The UST community sincerely appreciates and deeply admires the courage and calm determination of Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes, an alumna of the UST Faculty of Civil Law 1986, when she decided to accept responsiblity of presiding over the controversial case spawned by the infamous Maguindanao incident, despite the risk to her personal safety," the UST statement said. Also, the UST community called on all Filipinos to extend their support for all efforts to dismantle the culture of violence and lawlessness afflicting the country. It also urged Filipinos to supplant the culture of violence with the “regime of truth, justice and peace," which it said “can come about only through the grace of God." -ARCS, LBG, GMANews.TV