SC junks plea to stop transfer of Ampatuan Sr's trial to QC

The Supreme Court has denied the plea of the camp of Andal Ampatuan Sr. to disallow the transfer of the trial of the former Maguindanao governor's rebellion case from Cotabato City to Quezon City. In a January 19 resolution, the Supreme Court sitting en banc denied the motion filed by Ampatuan Sr.'s counsel Sigfrid Fortun to instead transfer the venue of the trial to either a regional trial court (RTC) in General Santos City or in Davao City. "Acting on the motion for reconsideration of the resolution of January 12, 2010 filed by counsel for respondents, the Court resolved to deny the same for lack of merit," the high tribunal ruled. The Ampatuan patriarch and 23 others were charged with rebellion before Branch 15 of the Cotabato City RTC after they allegedly rose up in arms five days after the November 23 massacre in Brgy. Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao that killed at least 57 people. Among those charged for rebellion are Ampatuan Sr.'s sons Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Zaldy; acting Maguindanao Governor Sajid Islam; Shariff Aguak Mayor Anwar; and Vice Governor Al-Hadji Akmad. Ampatuan Sr.'s other son and namesake, the mayor of Datu Unsay town, was separately charged with multiple counts of murder. Ampatuan Jr. is detained at the headquarters of the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila. Ampatuan Jr.'s case is being heard before the sala of Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Quezon City RTC Branch 221. Last January 12, the high court granted the Department of Justice (DOJ)'s request to transfer the trial of the rebellion case to the Quezon City RTC citing “security reason and influence of the families" over the people in Cotabato City, the regional center of the ARMM. DOJ Secretary Agnes Devanadera earlier said that prosecution and law enforcement agencies could better handle the case and security of witnesses if the trial would be held in Metro Manila. But in his motion for reconsideration, Fortun said it would be more convenient to hold the trial in Mindanao because most of the witnesses are there. Fortun further claimed that there was no evidence that the Davao City and General Santos City courts were partial or unfair. “(These cities) are centers of commerce in Mindanao. They are run by a different set of politicians detached from and having nothing to do with the Ampatuans. The sphere of influence of the latter does not extend over the two cities," said Fortun. - ARCS, GMANews.TV