Prosecutors want cases vs Andal Jr., others resolved in a year

Prosecutors in the Maguindanao massacre case aim to get the murder case against principal suspect Andal Ampatuan Jr. and several others resolved in less than a year's time at the earliest.   Private prosecutor Harry Roque said they plan to file a motion for partial declaration of judgment before Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes for Andal Jr.'s case.   Roque said they would ask Solis-Reyes to render judgment on the cases that are considered "ahead" of the others.   Andal Jr. was among the first suspects to have been arraigned and the subject of the two-year-old trial.   More than 70 witnesses have already been presented against him and the other suspects.   "The suspects are in different stages of trial and Unsay's (Andal Jr.’s) case is considered to be in the advanced stage," Roque said.   "If we get to file the motion, siguro by next year or in less than a year, there may be a resolution already in some of the cases," he added.   Roque said the entire trial seemed to be dragging simply because of the number of accused, saying the trial could drag on for "55,000" years given that a case usually takes at least five years to get resolved.   So far, more than 60 suspects have been arraigned, all pleading not guilty to the charges.   Some 101 other suspects remain at large, while the more than 30 others detained are still contesting their indictment and have yet to be arraigned and tried, including Andal Jr.'s brother Rizaldy.   A Court of Appeals special division recently junked Zaldy's bid to be removed from the charge sheet. The former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor has since filed a motion for reconsideration.   Private prosecutor Nena Santos, who represents Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, said she was also open to the idea of filing a motion for partial declaration of judgment.   "Pero siyempre, kailangan pa muna namin pag-aralan kung ano ang magiging impact nito as to the other accused," she said. — VS, GMA News