THE hearing of the motion for reconsideration filed by the legal counsel of self-proclaimed Davao Death Squad hitman Edgar Matobato is set to be postponed from its Friday schedule.
Lawyer Jude Josue Sabio said in a text message to VoxPop Davao Tuesday afternoon that the hearing is postponed on the motion for reconsideration for the issuance of another warrant of arrest to his client, motion for the court to forward the petition of transfer of the hearing of the court and motion for Presiding Judge of Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 3 presiding Judge Silverio Mandalupe to inhibit the case.
Sabio said that an official from the court told him the hearing will not push through because Judge Mandalupe is on leave from November 7 to 30.
In separate interview with the court staff, they are checking if another judge can hear the case while the presiding judge is away but this is still not final.
In a separate interview with VoxPop Davao, the prosecutor in charge of the case, Prosecutor Joy Largo, said having a different judge take over is not proper as any decision made can easily be reversed by the trial court judge assigned to the case.
Sabio said that since there is no hearing yet for the motion he filed, the alias warrant will still not be issued because his motion for reconsideration is still pending.
Judge Mandalupe issued another warrant of arrest for Matobato after he failed to appear on the scheduled hearing last November 3, 2016.
Sabio’s plea to court to cancel the arraignment for the reasons of pending motion to transfer of court is also denied.
As of the moment, no schedule is set for another hearing.