Manila, Philippines — The court handling the rebellion case against the Ampatuan Clan linked to the Maguindanao massacre, opted to put off hearing an appeal by the defense panel to suspend the transfer of Andal Ampatuan Sr. to a detention facility in Metro Manila.
The hearing is instead scheduled on Tuesday, by Judge Vivencio Baclig of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. This was done so the court could tackle the issue alonside a separate motion to determine probabale cause to hold Andal Sr. and the other Ampatuans for trial.
The decision was arrived at after defense lawyer Philip Sigfrid Fortun argued that it was too early to transfer the Ampatuans to a detention facility in Manila in the absence of a probable cause to prosecute them.
Aside from Andal Sr., currently detained at the Camp Panacan Hospital in Davao City, ARMM Governor Zaldy Ampatuan, Shariff Aguak Mayor Datu Anwar, Maguindanao Vice Governor Datu Akmad Tato Ampatuan, and Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan are also confined in other military camps. All are facing the charge of rebellion.
