Court defers Ampatuan murder trial for another week

The anticipated first day of the trial proper of the Ampatuan multiple murder case in Taguig City failed to push through as scheduled on Wednesday, sending families of the massacred victims into tears. Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 "partially granted" the motion filed by the defense to suspend the proceedings, resetting the trial for September 8 and 15. The defense said the trial should not yet resume because one more defense lawyer has not yet filed a comment on the pre-trial order issued by Solis-Reyes last August 27. The judge said the defense lawyer — a certain Atty. Manalo — only received a copy of the pre-trial order last Tuesday, and under court rules, a lawyer has five days to comment on it or until next week. Prosecution lawyers opposed the suspension request, with assistant senior state prosecutor Richard Fadullon telling the judge: "Every day that passes that the case is not heard is a big insult and they have suffered enough." While private prosecutor Nena Santos admitted that giving the defense enough time to comment on the pre-trial order was merely "basic in the rules," she still admitted being frustrated with how the proceedings were once again being delayed. Catherine Nuñez, mother of UNTV's Victor Nuñez who was among 32 members of the media killed in the carnage, was among the relatives who burst into tears after Solis-Reyes approved the motion to suspend proceedings. "Ngayon na sana namin inaasahan na magsisimula ang trial. Siyam na buwan na kaming naghihintay (We expected the trial to start now... we have been waiting for nine months)," a teary-eyed Nuñez told reporters after the hearing. Apart from families of the 57 victims of the November 23 carnage, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima also attended Wednesday's proceedings. In next week's hearing, the prosecution will be presenting three witnesses, whose identities the panel refused to divulge. The prosecution also rejected defense lawyer Sigrfrid Fortun's request that they be furnished copies of affidavits of the prosecution witnesses to take the stand next week. Santos said despite Wednesday's suspension, she was confident that next week's hearing will no longer be postponed. Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima expressed dismay over the postponement of the trial. DzBB' Dever Trinidad reported De Lima was in Taguig City to attend the trial. Despite the postponement, De Lima encouraged the families of the victims not to waver in their resolve to get justice for their loved ones. Noticeably present to cover the the first day of trial were members of the international media, including those from Germany as well as reporters from foreign wire agencies, who used to skip hearings in the past. — RSJ/LBG, GMANews.TV