Supreme Court tests live streaming of Maguindanao trial

MANILA, Philippines—The trial of the Maguindanao massacre case may now be seen, albeit temporarily, via the Internet.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court launched the live test webcast on its Web site sc.judiciary.gov.ph of the court proceedings inside a makeshift courtroom in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.

Midas Marquez, Supreme Court spokesperson and administrator, said the test Internet streaming of the trial was in preparation for the live broadcast of the proceedings as ordered by the high court.

“We are preparing this so we may know the necessary equipment that we have to come up with and set up there when the time comes that we can already do the live coverage and live streaming,” Marquez told reporters on Tuesday.

He said the temporary webcast would cover only portions of the court proceedings.

On June 14, the tribunal issued a landmark ruling allowing live TV and radio coverage of what some consider as the most significant trial in the country’s recent history.

Last week, Chief Justice Renato Corona directed Marquez to make the proceedings available to the whole world via the Internet live streaming.