MANILA, Philippines?President Benigno Aquino III remains determined to help the relatives of the 57 victims of the Maguindanao massacre and wants the wheels of justice to grind faster, a Palace official said on Thursday.

"We do not want to see any further delays,'' Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications Operations Office told reporters, in reaction to the postponement anew of the long-awaited trial of those allegedly behind the massacre led by Andal Ampatuan Jr. and 195 co-accused

The hearing of the case by Quezon City regional trial court has been reset to September 8.

Coloma reminded that one of the four programs that Aquino wants his administration to pursue was the strengthening of the justice system as the Chief Executive has "always deplored the fact that the wheels of justice seemed to be grinding very slowly.
"We could only express a view that would probably persuade the rest of our countrymen to bring stronger public opinion to bear on the people that are concerned with the trial so it could move hastily ...,'' Coloma said.

Asked on the bid of Justice Secretary Leila De Lima for prosecutors to seek the intervention of the Supreme Court given the defense lawyers? seemingly deliberate efforts to delay the proceedings, Coloma said the justice secretary knew what has to be done and the Palace "trusts" she "would do whatever is necessary to make this process move along more expeditiously.''

Relatives of the victims of the massacre had expressed disgust over the delay of the trial of several members of the Ampatuan clan, known political allies of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.