IN MID-SEPTEMBER a court inside a maximum-security prison in Quezon City convened for one of the biggest trials in the Philippines' history. The prime suspect, Andal Ampatuan Jr, scion of one of the country's most powerful families, stands accused of having massacred 57 people in Maguindanao to protect his family's political interests. The subsequent international outcry has put pressure on the new president, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, to ensure that justice is done. However, the scale of the proceedings—700 people are set to testify and 196 are to be arraigned—will be a major test for the country's judiciary.

The crime itself was too horrific to be ignored. In November 2009 Esmael Mangudadatu, a candidate for the governorship of Maguindanao, sent several female relatives, including his wife and sisters, to file his registration papers in his stead, believing that as women they would be safe. Instead, it is alleged that they, along with several bystanders and a convoy of 33 journalists who were following them, were murdered and mutilated by Mr Ampatuan Jr and members of his family's private army. The killers, it is believed, were acting at the behest of Andal Ampatuan Sr, who was governor of the province at the time.

The case is of huge significance for Mr Aquino. Elected in May on a pledge to clean up politics, the conviction of Mr Ampatuan Jr would represent the first step in breaking a culture of impunity that has protected the country's leading families for decades. Failure to resolve the case, whether by an inadequate prosecution or the limitations of the judiciary, could well cause widespread unrest, such are the public's expectations that something be done to punish these extra-judicial killings.

Yet the logistical difficulties are formidable. A lawyer interviewed by Reporters Without Borders has reported that 20 additional criminal cases have already mushroomed from the main trial. Along with the massacre itself, the courts are to try charges of attempted murder, possession of illegal firearms, arson and more, each adding to the judicial workload. The defendants have launched a raft of delaying tactics, such as motions to replace the judge. A senator, Jokey Arroyo, has warned that it could take 200 years to complete the trial, given that each of the accused has the right to cross-examine each witness. Meanwhile, a relative of one of the prosecution's witnesses has been killed, emphasising the need for witness-protection on a massive scale; many others have been harassed and offered bribes.

The trial has also brought renewed focus on the government's attempt to eradicate private armies. Until the massacre, “civilian volunteer organisations” were employed to combat rebels and separatists. On the side, they played an unofficial political role by bullying voters and intimidating rival candidates: it is widely believed that the Ampatuans' army was instrumental in generating votes for the winner of the disputed 2004 presidential election, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. However, the commission has found that private armies are difficult to define (it has estimated that there are 132 in existence, but the number is debatable) and many of the police and soldiers that will be instructed to break them up are themselves members in their off-duty lives.

In the courtroom in Quezon City, it seems as if a pattern has been set already. On September 20th it was reported that three of the defendants have appealed to the Supreme Court have their cases heard in a different court, away from Mr Ampatuan Jr. In this respect, the defence will continue look to make the case as laborious as possible—a Filipino Jarndyce vs Jarndyce—in the hope that the country's anger diminishes and Mr Aquino's crusade against crime and corruption runs out of steam. For the new president, the way forward is clear, if hazardous: the justice ministry must be given the resources to ensure that the case moves apace, and every opportunity must be taken to protect the prosecution's many witness, even if, as expected, the case rumbles on for years. His reputation might depend on it.