A.M. No. 10-11-5-SC, 10-11-6-SC, 10-11-7-SC

On November 23, 2009, fifty-seven persons, including thirty-two journalists and media practitioners, were killed en route to Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, in the incident known as the "Maguindanao Massacre."
The killings spawned fifty-seven counts of murder and an additional charge of rebellion against 197 accused, docketed as Criminal Case Nos. Q-09-162148-72, Q-09-162216-31, Q-10-162652-66, and Q-10-163766, commonly entitled People v. Datu Andal Ampatuan, Jr., et al.
Following transfer of venue and reraffling, the cases were assigned to Presiding Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of Branch 221 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Quezon City and were tried inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

On November 19, 2010, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, GMA Network, Inc., relatives of the victims, individual journalists, and members of the academe filed a petition docketed as A.M. No. 10-11-5-SC seeking:

Permission for live television and radio coverage of the trial.
Allowance of recording devices (e.g., still cameras, tape recorders) inside the courtroom to assist working journalists.
Formulation of reasonable guidelines to govern broadcast coverage and use of devices.

On November 22, 2010, National Press Club of the Philippines (NPC) and Alyansa ng Filipinong Mamamahayag (AFIMA) filed a petition docketed as A.M. No. 10-11-6-SC requesting:

Constitution of Branch 221, RTC-Quezon City, as a special court dedicated solely to the Maguindanao Massacre trial.
Installation of sufficient video cameras inside the courtroom to beam audio-video signals to monitors outside the court.

On November 22, 2010, President Benigno S. Aquino III sent a letter to Chief Justice Renato Corona, docketed as A.M. No. 10-11-7-SC, expressing support for permitting television and radio broadcast of the trial.
Andal Ampatuan, Jr., a principal accused, filed a Consolidated Comment (December 6, 2010) in A.M. Nos. 10-11-5-SC and 10-11-7-SC; the President (through OSG) and NUJP, et al., filed Replies; Ampatuan filed a Rejoinder (March 9, 2011).

The trial court imposed strict orders prohibiting live broadcast coverage and limited the number of media practitioners in the courtroom to one reporter per media institution.
Reporters were subjected to frisking and searches for cameras, recorders, and cellular devices upon entry.
NUJP sought dialogue with Judge Solis-Reyes by letter (January 12, 2010); Judge Solis-Reyes directed that media concerns be raised by proper motion.

Petitioners invited the Court to revisit the 1991 En Banc Resolution in Re: Live TV and Radio Coverage of the Hearing of President Corazon C. Aquino's Libel Case and Perez v. Estrada, A.M. No. 01-4-03-SC, June 29, 2001 (360 SCRA 248).
The Court summarized the holdings in those authorities as prohibiting live radio and television coverage but permitting restricted video footage for news or, in Estrada, audio-visual recording for documentary purposes under conditions.

Whether live television and radio coverage of the Maguindanao Massacre trial may be permitted notwithstanding prior prohibitions in Re: Live TV... Aquino and Perez v. Estrada.
Whether audio-visual recording may be permitted both for documentary purposes and for live transmittal to radio and television.
Whether the trial court's restrictions on media access and recording devices violate the freedom of the press, the right to information, the right to a fair and public trial, and allied rights.

Whether the Court should constitute Branch 221, RTC-Quezon City, as a special court exclusively handling the Maguindanao Massacre trial (noted as a separate matter, A.M. No. 10-11-6-SC).
What safeguards, guidelines, and administrative arrangements are necessary to reconcile public access and press freedom with the accused's due process rights and the dignity of court proceedings.
Whether the empirical bases and foreign precedents relied upon in prior rulings sufficiently warrant continuation of an absolute ban on live electronic coverage.