Group pleas for speedy trial of Ampatuan massacre case

After expressing disappointment over the suspended first day of hearings of the Ampatuan massacre trial, an international media group asked the Aquino administration to ensure the trials are conducted without delay. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) lamented the postponement of the long-awaited start of the trial earlier this week after the defense took only one hour of arguments. "The administration of Benigno Aquino must ensure these trials are conducted promptly and taken as an opportunity to bring about a positive change in the way such killings are handled by the Philippines' authorities and judiciary," IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said on the group's website. "Failure to do so will only embolden killers, and reinforce a culture of impunity in which the perpetrators of such crimes are rarely held accountable," she added. The Sept. 1 trial was rescheduled to Sept. 8, where prosecution is expected to present three witnesses. IFJ, an affiliate of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), represents more than 600,000 journalists in 125 countries. For its part, NUJP said members of the organization — together with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, prosecutors, and victims' families — were infuriated over the Ampatuan massacre. Members of the Ampatuan clan face murder charges for the Nov. 23 massacre of 57 people, including 32 journalists and media workers. IFJ said that Catherine Nuñez, mother of slain UNTV reporter Victor Nuñez, wept while being interviewed by the media after the postponement of proceedings, complaining that the Philippine legal system favored the rich and powerful. "Many of the victims' families had traveled especially from Mindanao in the Philippines' south to a maximum security compound at military Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, where the trial had been moved due to security concerns," the organization said. Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes, Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 on Wednesday granted the motion for postponement of the trial. Defense lawyer Sigfried Fortun moved for the suspension trial on grounds that three more lawyers have yet to submit their comments – until 5 p.m. on Sept. 1 – on the pre-trial order issued by the court on Aug. 27. Unless the court rules, the defense has five days to comment on the order. Assistant Chief State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon and all public and private prosecutors manifested their opposition to the motion asserting both parties agreed on the date of the first trial and that the victims have the right to fair and speedy trial. Private prosecutor and lawyer of some of the slain journalists Harry Roque Jr. said that his clients were exasperated over the decision. Roque asked the court to order the defense to reimburse the costs of transporting the families. Fortun stood and said Roque is "out of his mind." NUJP Secretary General Sonny Fernandez and NUJP director and National Safety Office executive coordinator Rowena Paraan attended the proceedings. Paraan appealed to the court to consider more the situation of the victims' families who suffer from enormous stress every time proceedings are suspended and delayed. She lashed out at the defense that employ dilatory tactics and make a mockery of the justice system. Fernandez urged De Lima and the prosecution to consolidate strategies in order to block all attempts to further delay the trial. —JE/VS, GMANews.TV