Ampatuan motion on bail plea opposed

The prosecution panel in the Maguindanao Massacre case has appealed to a Quezon City court to bar the presentation of principal accused Andal Ampatuan Jr. and five others as rebuttal witnesses for his bail petition.

In a motion to disallow presentation of witnesses as bail rebuttal evidence of accused Ampatuan, Archimedes Manabat of the prosecution panel said that presenting the accused and five others as rebuttal witnesses for his bail petition is improper at this stage.

Aside from Ampatuan, the prosecution also opposed the presentation of Atty. Cynthia Sayadi, Leo Mark Aguilar, Atty. Sigfried Fortun, Atty. Philip Pantajon and Datu Digo Mamalapat as rebuttal witnesses.

Ampatuan’s legal counsel, Salvador Panelo earlier filed a manifestation asking the court to issue subpoena duces tecum et testificandum to his client and several others to testify as rebuttal witnesses in said bail petition.

Panelo also asked the court to issue subpoena to Dorothy Pullo, director of Freedom of Information Act Division of US CBP, apparently to testify on the travel itinerary of Ampatuan from November 10 to November 18, 2009.

Judge Jocelyn Solis- Reyes of the QC Regional Trial Court Branch 221, however, has denied Panelo’s request to subpoena Pullo “for being beyond the court’s jurisdiction.”