EIGHT YEARS ago today, 58 people, including 32 media practitioners, were massacred in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province, and the cases against an original 197 accused remain in the stage of hearing evidence for several of the 103 defendants still on trial. “It is already the turn of the accused to present their evidence-in-chief. Thirty one (31) accused have already concluded the presentation of their evidence. Thirty four (34) more accused are currently presenting their respective defense evidence-in-chief,” the Supreme Court (SC) said in an update released yesterday. The SC said based on the special rule issued for what has come to be known as the Ampatuan massacre, one of the most heinous cases of political violence in the nation’s recent history, the case for each of the accused may be submitted for decision of the court upon completion of evidence presentation. — Andrea Louise E. San Juan

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR