10 to be arraigned on 58th murder charge in Maguindanao massacre

Site of the Maguindanao massacre. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA—A Quezon City court has scheduled 10 persons to be arraigned on October 23  on a 58th count of murder in connection with the 2009 Maguindanao massacre.

The 10, who are among more than 100 people accused in the case, had  previously pleaded not guilty to the first 57 counts.

Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of Regional Trial Court Branch 221 set the date for the arraignment of Moktar Daud, Mohades Ampatuan, Macton Bilungan, Misuari Ampatuan, Tato Sampogao, Taya Bangkulat, Salik Bangkulat, Ibrahim Tatak, Norman Tatak, and Maot Dumla after defense lawyer Andres Manuel said he was willing to have his clients arraigned for the death of the 58th known victim of the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre.

Photojournalist Reynaldo Momay was belatedly added to list of massacre victims after the Department of Justice and the police acknowledged he was among those killed. Although his body was never found,  the authorities found his jacket and dentures at a mass grave where the victims were initially buried by the perpetrators.

The 10 accused will be arraigned at 9 a.m. on Oct. at the Quezon City Jail Annex in Camp Bagong Diwa Taguig City, where the conducts some of the hearings in the case.

The 58th count of murder for Momay’s death was filed only last year, or nearly three years after the first 57 charges were filed.

Momay was among 32 mediamen who were killed in the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre, for which members of the Ampatuan clan and their supporters are standing trial.