The Supreme Court has paved the way for the trial and resolution of the multiple murder case filed against police Supt. Hansel Marantan for his involvement in the January 6, 2013 alleged rubout in Atimonan, Quezon which killed 13 people.
In a recent decision, the SC dismissed the petition filed by Marantan assailing the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice to conduct the preliminary investigation on the case for having prejudged it.
Marantan had sought the transfer of the case to the Office of the Ombudsman in his petition.
The high court, however, declared Marantan’s petition for certiorari seeking to stop the DOJ’s investigation as moot and academic considering that the case has already been filed before a regional trial court.
“Here, an information against petitioner has already been filed before the Regional Trial Court. Consequently, whether the case should be dismissed, or whether petitioner should be acquitted or convicted, is for the trial court to determine,” the SC said in a 24-page decision penned by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.
“Resolving whether public respondent Department of Justice should have inhibited from conducting the preliminary investigation and forwarded the case records to the Office of the Ombudsman would be of no practical use and value here,” it added.
Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Andres Reyes Jr., Ramon Paul Hernando and Rosemari Carandang concurred with the ruling.
Marantan led a team of policemen and soldiers in firing at a convoy in Atimonan, Quezon province in January 2013.
Besides Marantan, also facing multiple murder charges in connection with the encounter are Supt. Ramon Balauag, Chief Insp. Grant Gollod, Senior Insp. John Paolo Carracedo, SPO3 Joselito de Guzman, SPO1 Carlo Cataquiz, SPO1 Arturo Sarmiento, PO3 Eduardo Oronan, PO2 Nelson Indal, PO2 Al Bhazar Jailani, PO1 Wryan Sardea and PO1 Rodel Talento aka Rodel Tolentino.
In 2017, a Manila court granted the petition for bail of the police officers.
Among those killed in the rubout were gambling lord Vic Siman and his companions.
The rubout was believed to have stemmed from a war over jueteng turfs based on the investigation conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation.