Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda. FILE PHOTO
MALACAÑANG wants to see a court decision on the Maguindanao massacre trial before President Aquino leaves office in June 2016.
Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, however, said Monday that it was “not within our control.”
“There are certain limitations that we cannot go beyond. Otherwise, we will be accused of interference. We’re just stating what is the reality on the ground,” Lacierda said at a press briefing.
Like the families of the 58 victims of the gruesome crime, he said they “would certainly like to have the trial of the Ampatuan case hastened, as well.”
Lacierda noted that “there are now three courts assisting Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes.”
“But how does one expect us to push the judicial branch, which is an independent branch of government,” he said.
He said it was the Supreme Court that had administrative supervision over the court conducting the trial.
As of Nov. 23, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court had “already heard a total of 178 witnesses (93 prosecution witnesses, 27 defense witnesses and 58 private complainants), according to the Supreme Court public information chief, Theodore Te.
Te said Monday the high court had resolved all outstanding formal offers of evidence against the bail applications of the accused.
“It has also resolved all bail applications of the major accused, with only those of Andal ‘Unsay’ Ampatuan Jr. remaining. But the trial court has already ordered accused Unsay Ampatuan Jr. to close his presentation of evidence not later than December 2015,” he said.
The cases account for 58 victims involving 197 accused, including 15 surnamed Ampatuans, with one already dropped from the case, one discharged as a state witness and one already dismissed, according to Te.
A total of 111 accused have been arrested and arraigned while three of them, including Andal Ampatuan Sr., have already died.
The prosecution is being conducted by 12 lawyers comprising the third panel of prosecutors for the state, with seven private prosecutors, and 26 defense lawyers and firms.