MANILA—Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said she is not sure when will the Maguindanao Massacre trial end.
However, she is hoping that the case will be finished within President Noynoy Aquino’s term. De Lima said the case is not a difficult one, but “the trial has to cope with the continuing attempt of the accused to jeopardize everything being done in the case.”
De Lima’s statement was made during the opening of the Philippine Press Institute’s (PPI) 15th National Press Forum and 2011 annual Membership Meeting held at Traders Hotel Manila on Wednesday, June 22.
The statement also came on the eve of the 19th month commemoration of the Maguindanao massacre that left 58 persons including 32 journalists brutally murdered.
“The trial is on going, but I cannot venture a guess how many years will it take for the trial to last, De Lima said.
“The big challenge is to finish it within the term of the current administration. Its taking a long time due to sheer magnitude of the case sheer number of victims, witnesses, slow pace with all the dilatory motions, piecemeal arraignment of the accused,” she added.
In an attempt to fast tract the trial for the Maguindanao massacre, it is being held every Wednesday and Thursday. De Lima said that at least 61 accused were arraigned, while 90 of the 197 accused had been arrested.
She also cited the financial resources of the Ampatuans saying that despite the freeze order on their finances, more that P300-million are still intact.
But sources said that the Ampatuan’s financial resources can reach to over P1-billion.
