5 years later, fate of Ampatuan patriarch’s bail plea known next month

After five years of hearing the high-profile murder case, the Quezon City judge in the Maguindanao massacre trial is finally set to decide whether or not to allow principal suspect and clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr. to enjoy temporary freedom.

In an interview with GMA News Online, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Regional Trial Court Branch 221 said she would be coming up by the third week of December with a decision on the bail petition of Ampatuan.

 

"Fact naman iyan. Nasa records iyan (That is a fact and it's in the records)," said Solis-Reyes, refering to her Sept. 18, 2014 order deeming as "submitted for resolution" Ampatuan's bail pleas for the 58 counts of murder lodged against him.

 

Ampatuan's bail plea was submitted for resolution after his camp indicated it no longer plans to present evidence.

 

"In view of the manifestation made by counsel for the accused Andal Ampatuan Sr. that he is waiving the presentation of evidence of his client in the bail hearing, the petitions for bail of said accused is deemed submitted for resolution," said Solis-Reyes in her September ruling.

 

Under the 1987 Constitution, a judge has 90 days or three months to decide on a case or petition, from the time it was submitted for resolution.

 

Section 15 (1), Article VIII of the Charter states: "All cases or matters filed after the effectivity of this Constitution must be decided or resolved within... unless reduced by the Supreme Court... three months for all other lower courts."

 

This means Solis-Reyes would have to rule on the bail request by December 17.

 

Ampatuan is currently detained at the Quezon City Jail Annex inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, along with more than 100 co-accused, including his sons and other relatives.

 

Earlier, Solis-Reyes had resolved to grant two batches of bail petitions from a total of 42 policemen-suspects implicated in the killings.

 

In an October 13 resolution, Solis-Reyes allowed each of the 17 suspects to post a bail of P200,000 for every count of murder against them. That would translate to 11.6 million for all 58 counts. 

 

Two weeks later, on October 27, Solis-Reyes issued another ruling granting the bail pleas of 25 more policemen-suspects, also setting a similar bail requirement.

 

One of the 42 suspects allowed to post bail, however, has died in 2012 after jumping off the building where his detention cell was located.

 

Another suspect, PO2 Saudiar Ulah, recently requested that the bail requirement for his temporary freedom be reduced due to his "financial inability." — RSJ, GMA News