BY VICTOR REYES

A MILITARY court trying 28 officers linked to the February 2006 alleged power grab attempt has moved the venue of the trial from Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal, where most of the officers are detained, to the military’s general headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

The military also announced that eight of the accused will be arraigned on Tuesday.

The venue transfer was made on the request of defense lawyers, said Maj. Emilio Felicen, court spokesman. He said the lawyers have raised the issue of the long travel they have to take to make it to hearings.

The court has been holding proceedings in the camp since December 2006.

"The change of venue was actually a result of several motions made by the defense, private defense counsel… They are saying that they are having difficulty, Camp Capinpin is too far and its takes time to travel so the court considered those reasons," Felicen said.

Twenty-six of the accused, led by Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, former Marines commandant, are detained at the AFP custodial center in Camp Capinpin.

Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, former Scout Ranger commander, was formerly detained in Tanay but was placed under detention at the PNP custodial center in Camp Crame last November for his involvement in the Manila Peninsula hotel standoff led by mutiny leader Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

Capt. Dante Langkit is detained at the Army’s Custodial Management Unit in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

Felicen said the accused would be arraigned "in batches." The arraignment dates will be announced later, he said.

The court tried to arraign the accused in batches in the last hearing on January 11 but the defense opposed it, saying the accused should be arraigned in one group because the offenses for which they are being accused of allege conspiracy.

The accused also refused to be brought to the court in handcuffs.

Felicen said the right of the accused would not be prejudiced if they are arraigned in batches.

"The reading of the charges and the specifications is to be conducted individually to the accused and therefore those who are not present during the conduct of the arraignment will not be prejudiced. There will be no arraignment insofar as those accused not present in court are concerned," he added.

He refused to identify the eight officers who will be brought to Camp Aguinaldo for the arraignment but said Miranda, Lim and Medal of Valor awardee Col. Ariel Querubin might be among them because they are the most senior among the accused.

Asked if the accused would also be detained in Camp Aguinaldo because of the change of venue of the court proceedings, Felicen said it would be the decision of the court which is presided by Maj. Gen. Jogy Leo Fojas.

Felicen also said the handcuffing of the accused is "legal and allowed by the Supreme Court," contrary to the defense lawyers’ position that it was a violation of the rights of the accused.

"In fact, in a memorandum order issued by the Supreme Court, it says that a detention prisoner, while inside the premises of the court, should be in handcuffs, unless otherwise directed by the presiding judge," he said.

The court earlier said accused should be handcuffed and arraigned in batches because of their unruly behavior in past proceedings.