Court defers arraignment of Zaldy Ampatuan

The Quezon City court hearing the two-year-old Maguindanao massacre case on Wednesday allowed the deferment of the arraignment of suspect Rizaldy Ampatuan which was originally scheduled on Thursday.

 

In a statement, private prosecutor Gilbert Andres said Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Regional Trial Court Branch 221 agreed to postpone Thursday's arraignment pending resolution of the motion for reconsideration to defer arraignment filed by Zaldy's camp. 

 

Ampatuan is former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. 

 

He and 195 others, including fellow members of his powerful clan in Mindanao, are blamed for the gruesome massacre in Ampatuan town on Nov. 23, 2009 where 57 people, including 32 journalists, were killed. A 58th victim remains missing to this day. Families of some of the slain journalists who attended Wednesday's hearing lamented Solis-Reyes' decision. 

 

"Sobrang masakit, galing pa ako sa Cotabato City at umabsent sa trabaho. Inaasahan kong makita bukas ang arraignment ni Zaldy. Ano ba ang dahilan bakit hanggang ngayon hindi pa siya na-arraign?,” said Ramonita Salaysay, wife of slain journalist Napoleon Salaysay.

 

Meanwhile, Catherine Nuñez, mother of television reporter Victor Nuñez, said: “Dalawang taon at limang buwan ko nang hinihintay na makitang ma-arraign si Zaldy. Wala na ba talaga kaming pag-asang mga biktima na makakuha ng hustisya ngayon?”

 

“Arraignment pa lamang ito, masyado na kaming nasasaktan,” added Nuñez.

 

Andres said the arguments that Zaldy keeps on raising before the sala of Solis-Reyes were the same ones he raised before the Court of Appeals, which had already denied his motion to reinvestigate the case.

 

“I understand the frustration of our clients. I pray to God that Zaldy Ampatuan will be arraigned soon,” Andres said. — Mark Merueñas/RSJ, GMA News