No bail for top cop charged in massacre

MANILA, Philippines - After granting the bail plea of 41 police officers charged in the Maguindanao massacre trial, the Quezon City judge handling the multiple murder case has denied the bail petition of the former deputy officer-in-charge of the province’s police force.

In an 11-page joint order released on Friday, Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes ruled against the request for temporary liberty of Chief Inspector Sukarno Adil Dicay for the 58 murder cases filed against him.

Dicay, who is currently detained at the Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, is the deputy officer-in-charge of the Maguindanao provincial police at the time of the massacre on Nov. 23, 2009.

He was charged with multiple murder along with 196 suspects, among them members of the powerful Ampatuan clan.

“After a perusal of the pertinent evidence adduced, the court finds that the evidence of guilt of accused Dicay is strong,” Solis-Reyes wrote in her order.

“Given the threshold of proof against the accused, the court is constrained to deny his plea for provisional liberty,” she added.

Solis-Reyes noted that out of 67 witnesses presented by the prosecution panel in opposition to Dicay’s plea, the court found the testimony of 11 witnesses – including the statement of suspect-turned-state witness Sukarno Badal – pertinent.

Based on the order, Badal testified that Dicay was among those who attended a Nov. 16, 2009 meeting in which the killing of then Buluan vice mayor and now Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu was discussed.

The wife of Mangudadatu led the convoy that was stopped and brutally murdered by allegedly more than 100 men. A total of 58 people, including 32 media practitioners, died in the massacre.

Mangudadatu’s wife was supposed to file the certificate of candidacy of her husband, who was set to challenge a scion of the Ampatuan clan for the gubernatorial post.

In his testimony, Badal also testified seeing Dicay holding the wife of Mangudadatu after stopping their convoy.

“From the testimonial and documentary evidence on record, accused Dicay was linked in these criminal cases,” said Solis-Reyes.

The judge, however, stressed that in resolving bail petitions, “the court is not yet determining his guilt or innocence.”

“The court is merely determining the sufficiency of weight of the evidence to grant him temporary liberty,” she added.

The ruling denying Dicay’s plea came on the heels of twin joint orders that granted the bail petition of 41 police officers charged for the massacre.

None of those who were granted bail have posted the P11.4 million set by the court.