Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Thursday expressed hopes that the Quezon City Regional Trial Court would be able to render judgment on the 10-year-old Maguindanao massacre case “sooner than later.”
Guevarra made the statement following reports that Quezon City RTC, Branch 221, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes had sent a letter to the Supreme Court requesting that she be given 30 more days to decide on the Maguindanao Massacre case.
“Regarding the alleged request of Judge Solis-Reyes for extension of time to resolve the Maguindanao Massacre case, we shall leave this matter to the sound discretion of the Supreme Court,” Guevarra said in a text message sent to reporters.
“But we really hope that the good Judge would be able to promulgate her decision sooner than later,” the Justice Secretary said.
SC spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka could not yet confirm whether Judge Reyes did make a request for extension.
“Right now, I have no information on that,” Hosaka said when asked to comment on Judge Reyes’ request for one-month extension.
Guevarra said while it is up to the SC to decide on the request for an extension, he is still hoping that the RTC would issue a ruling soon.
Last Wednesday, Guevarra said the RTC has yet to decide a date for the ruling on the Maguindanao Massacre but is hoping that a verdict would be issued before the end of the year.
“There is no specific date yet as far as I know. But my understanding is before the year is over there might already be a promulgation because it has already been submitted for decision I think way back in August so the court has 90 days to make its decision, to promulgate its decision,” he admitted.
Under the existing rules, a judge has 90 days to decide on a case upon the termination of a trial. Judge Reyes submitted the case for decision last August and has until Nov. 22 to promulgate the case.
If her request for a month-long extension is granted, she would have until Dec. 22 to render a decision.
Judge Reyes apparently requested for more time because of the case’s voluminous records. Since the trial began in January 2010, the case has accumulated 165 volumes of pleadings and other documents.
There are 197 suspects who were initially charged for the massacre, which claimed the lives of 58 people including 32 media practitioners.
A total of 117 people have been arrested including prominent members of the Ampatuan clan. Seven of them died while in detention, including former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.
Charges against nine others have been dropped, including the three who were allowed to become state witnesses. Eleven of them are out on bail, while 80, including Datu Saudi Ampatuan Jr., remain at large.