MANILA, Philippines ? The Supreme Court took exception Saturday to the administration line that the court system was no longer functioning in Maguindanao ? one of the supposed reasons behind the declaration of martial law in the province.

Lawyer Midas Marquez, Supreme Court deputy court administrator and spokesperson, told the Inquirer that the cases filed in the Cotabato trial court in connection with the Maguindanao massacre continued to develop over the past days.

Search warrants out of the Kidapawan regional trial court also made the police raids on the Ampatuan houses possible, he added.

?This is far from a picture of a non-performing judicial system,? Marquez told the Inquirer.

Marquez said that Judge Melanio Guerrero of the Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat, Regional Trial Court, has already issued a commitment order and set a hearing for the bail petition of Mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr. of Datu Unsay who has been charged with murder.

Guerrero, he said, also already submitted his comment to the Supreme Court in connection with the government?s request for a change of venue that would transfer the proceedings from Cotabato.

Marquez said Kidapawan Regional Trial Court Judge Francis Palmones, Jr. also issued the search warrants that made the raid on the residences of the Ampatuans possible on Friday.

?The information I received from the field is that the trial court has issued a commitment order, a hearing for the petition for bail has been set for Monday,? Marquez said.

?(No) less than six search warrants have been issued with other applications still being studied by the trial court?and even on weekends,? he added.

Marquez, in a news conference, several days back already denied that the judges in Cotabato had all gone on leave supposedly to evade handling the cases against the Ampatuans in connection with the massacre.

He confirmed the threats against judges and court personnel but denied they have fled or shirked away from their duties.

?That?s not true,? Marquez told reporters then.

Marquez said that the Cotabato Regional Trial Court Branch 15 that has jurisdiction over Shariff Aguak area was vacant. Ampatuan town, near Shariff Aguak, was the site of the massacre?the worst single attack on members of the media ever.

The deputy court administrator said the substitute judge for branch 15 was a former father-in-law of one of the Ampatuans and, thus, couldn?t handle the case.

As such, Marquez said Chief Justice Reynato Puno ordered Tacurong Judge Guerrero to take over Branch 15 and the multiple murder charges against Andal, Jr.