DOJ pressed on long-pending reviews as Samar killing case resurfaces
The Department of Justice is being pressed to disclose the status of long-pending petitions for review and motions for reconsideration amid renewed scrutiny of the nearly nine-year-old case involving the 2017 killing of Samar farmer and trader Enrique Manas Sr.
Samar 2nd District Rep. Reynolds Michael Tan, a member of the House Committee on Justice, wrote Acting Justice Secretary Frederick Vida on 20 August seeking an update on the motion for reconsideration filed by accused former military colonel Emilio Zosa in the Manas case.
Tan asked whether the motion had already been submitted for resolution and whether additional procedural requirements or submissions remained pending.
He also sought clarification on whether counsel for the Manas family had been furnished a copy of the motion and given an opportunity to comment, oppose or submit its position.
Beyond the Manas case, Tan asked the DOJ to disclose the number of pending petitions for review, how long they had remained unresolved, and the procedures and timelines governing such petitions and motions for reconsideration.
He also requested updated statistics on pending criminal cases before the National Prosecution Service, including a breakdown based on how long the cases have remained unresolved.
The Manas case stems from the 2017 ambush killing of Enrique Manas Sr. in Sta. Margarita, Samar.
In 2019, the National Prosecution Service recommended the filing of criminal charges against Zosa and his co-accused.
The Tacloban Regional Trial Court issued a warrant of arrest in 2021, but the prosecution was later halted after then Justice Undersecretary Adrian Sugay reversed the earlier finding in December that year.
On 16 January 2025, then Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla reversed Sugay’s disposition and reinstated the prosecution.
Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon later ordered the filing of the criminal information in 2026, which was received by the Tacloban Regional Trial Court on 19 March.
Zosa subsequently filed a motion for reconsideration before the DOJ, bringing the case back under departmental review.
“Our objective should be straightforward: to determine whether our existing system adequately ensures that justice is delivered not only fairly, but also within a reasonable period of time,” Tan said.
The request puts renewed focus on delays in prosecutorial proceedings, particularly cases that have undergone repeated reviews and reversals before reaching the courts.
