CA rejects plea of Maguindanao massacre suspect to stay at PNP jail

MANILA, Philippines – The Court of Appeals denied the bid of the accused in the Maguindanao massacre case to stay at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center despite claims that his life would be in danger if he would be transferred to Camp Bagong Diwa.

In an eight-page resolution, the appeals court’s Special 16^th Division through Associate Justice Ramon Bato Jr. upheld the ruling issued by Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes that gave the go signal for Takpan Dilon’s transfer to Taguig.

Dilon in his petition said his life would be in grave danger if he would be transferred to Camp Bago Diwa since the Department of Justice had previously considered to turn him into a state witness.

He noted that the threat to his life is very real and the fact that his transfer was initiated by his co-accused whom he earlier implicated in the gruesome crime is indicative of this threat.

Dilon is a government witness after he was admitted to the Witness Protection Program.

In his petition to the Court of Appeals, he said Reyes committed grave abuse of discretion in ordering his transfer.

But the appeals court said “we find no apparent abuse of discretion committed by the court a quo (Branch 221) when it ordered the transfer of petitioner from the PNP Custodial Center to the Quezon City Jail Annex.”

“It may be true that the DOJ (Department of Justice) has previously considered to turn petitioner into a state witness, however, this is not a compelling reason to order his continued detention at the PNP Custodial Center,” the appeals court said.

“Petitioner failed to advance any justifying reason why he should be treated differently from his co-accused who are presently detained at the Quezon City jail annex, given the fact that they were charged with the same crime,” the appeals court said.

Concurring with the ruling were Associate Justices Socorro Inting and Eduardo Peralta, Jr.

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