Muslim clan leaders on trial for the Philippines' deadliest politically-linked massacre are to call ex-president and former ally Gloria Arroyo to the witness stand, a state prosecutor said on Saturday.
The six defendants, along with 190 alleged members of their private army, are accused of murdering 57 people in the province of Maguindanao, which they had ruled for nearly a decade with the support of then-president Arroyo.
Arroyo, several former top aides, and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima are in the list of witnesses for the defence submitted to the court by the Ampatuan family's lawyers, assistant chief state prosecutor Richard Fadullon told AFP.
"They (defendants) can request the court to issue subpoenas," Fadullon said.
However it would be entirely up to the court whether Arroyo, now a sitting member of parliament, could be compelled to take the stand should she refuse to be a witness for the defence, he added.
The defendants, who include clan leader Andal Ampatuan Snr, are accused of abducting, killing, and dumping into mass graves 57 people in November 2009 to stop a rival from challenging them in elections.
Nearly half the victims were journalists who were accompanying the rival's relatives as they drove to the local election office in the southern province to file his official papers for the May 2010 elections.
Critics say Arroyo turned a blind eye on the Ampatuans' alleged excesses, including allowing them to run their own private army to serve as a proxy force against Muslim rebels.
Although Arroyo severed her alliance with the Ampatuans following the massacre, relatives of the victims and their lawyers believe she continued to protect them until her term as president ended on June 30.
Under Arroyo, the trial of the detained Ampatuans and their allies had been delayed since April, a potential witness was shot dead and charges were dropped against two clan members only to be reinstated after a public outcry.
Calls to Arroyo's spokeswoman on Saturday were not returned, while the defendants' lawyers could not be reached for comment.
Fadullon, the state prosecutor, said the lower court judge in charge of the murder trial has summoned prosecutors and lawyers for the defendants to a meeting on August 11 to discuss how the trial should proceed.
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