Hearing on Maguindanao massacre case reset

MANILA, Philippines — The hearing this Wednesday morning of the Maguindanao massacre case has been reset for next week as the court trying the case joined others in going on a holiday in support of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.

However, Private Prosecutor Nena Santos said the hearing was rescheduled to December 21 because the Office of the Court Administrator, headed by Supreme Court spokesman Midas Marquez, sent a “notice” for the court to go on holiday.

Quezon City Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes issued the order re-scheduling the hearing late on Tuesday afternoon. The hearing this morning was to be held at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig.

“It seems they have something for Corona…..I got a text from someone from the [Quezon City] court that they received a notice from the [Supreme Court] Court Administrator,” Santos said in an interview.

When asked how her clients felt about the postponement, Santos said: “It’s ok because there is an order from the Court Administrator to go on holiday in support of the chief justice.”

However, a Quezon City court official who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak officially, denied that there was such an order from Marquez’s office.

“No. The court is doing this because the we support…..you know. And it’s not just [Judge Reyes] who is doing this but also the [other Judges] here [in Quezon City],” the official said.

He said the court was supposed to arraign today six accused in the massacre case — five policemen and one militiamen. Their arraignments have been reset to December 21.

International media groups and the families of the 57 victims of the massacre have previously criticized the slow pace of the trial.