Judge in Ampatuan massacre convictions is candidate for CA justice

MANILA, Philippines–The judge who convicted members of the Ampatuan clan in what is considered as one of the Philippines’ worst single-day murder of journalists is now on the shortlist of candidates for vacancies in the Court of Appeals.

Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes’ name was among those of 36 candidates written on the transmittal letter submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) to President Rodrigo Duterte, who would make the final choice.

Solis-Reyes presided over the Maguindanao massacre case since the start of the trial in 2010. In 2019, she convicted members of the Ampatuan clan and 23 others of the murder of 57 journalists in the town of Ampatuan, Maguindanao province.

Among those found guilty were:

• Andal Ampatuan Jr., former mayor of Datu Unsay town, Maguindanao
• Zaldy “Puti” U. Ampatuan, former governor of the now defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
• Anwar Ampatuan Sr.
• Anwqr Sajid “Datu Ulo” Ampatuan
• Anwar “Datu Ipi” Ampatuan Jr.

READ: Who is Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes?

Solis-Reyes and 35 other candidates will be vying for the vacant positions left by Associate Justices Rodil Zalameda, Mario V. Lopez, Edgardo L. Delos Santos, and Samuel H. Gaerlan who were all promoted to the Supreme Court, and those vacated by the retirement of Associate Justices Luisa Q. Padilla and Jane Aurora C. Lantion.

Also vying for a Court of Appeals slots are Assistant Solicitor General Henry Angeles, Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Michael Ong, Presidential Assistant Jennifer Joy Ong of the Office of the Appointments Secretary, Bureau of Internal Revenue Deputy Commissioner Lanee Cui-David. David was previously part of the David, Cui-David, Buenaventura and Ang Law Office that represented Janet Lim-Napoles.

Others on the list included Makati RTC Judge Selma Palacio Alaras, who convicted a Mexican national believed to be part of the notorious Sinaloa drug syndicate; another Quezon City RTC judge, Eleuterio Bathan who convicted a member of the Maute terrorist group; Muntinlupa RTC Judge Philip Aguinaldo; former JBC member Milagros Fernan-Cayosa; Manila RTC Judge Maria Celestina Cruz-Mangrobang.

The JBC has also transmitted to Malacañang a shortlist of candidates for the lone vacancy in the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan and two vacancies at the Court of Tax Appeals.

The JBC is the constitutional office that accepts, screens and nominates appointments to the judiciary.

TSB