MANILA, Philippines - A lawyer for 14 of the 57 Maguindanao massacre victims on Thursday said he expects a lengthy massacre trial because of the sheer number of witnesses to be presented by the prosecution and defense.

Speaking to ANC's Headstart, lawyer Harry Roque said prosecutors are preparing at least 150 witnesses while the defense panel is readying another 300 witnesses. 

"Many of these are still subject to discretion of court because the witnesses must be material and relevant to the controversy. There are 58 victims and 197 accused. If you limit, you will have 250 witnesses as a minimum who will take the stand," he said.

He said at least one vital witness is an eyewitness to the massacre and is currently under the government's protection.

Roque said the latest delay in the massacre trial caused outrage among relatives of the victims who came from the provinces just to attend the first day of trial. He said dilatory tactics by the defense lawyers could prolong the trial further.

Presiding judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes on Wednesday moved the first day of trial to September 8, citing defense lawyers’ claims that they were not able to comment to the court’s pre-trial order.

Roque said he has urged Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to convene the public and private prosecutors to plan the prosecution's strategy.

"The fact of the matter is -- unless we have new approaches, strategies and perspective, [the trial] will go on and on for a very long time and make it look again that...we have no working justice system," he said.

A total of 197 people are facing murder charges for their involvement in the killing of 57 people in Maguindanao on November 23 last year. At least 29 Ampatuan clan members led by clan patriarch, former Maguindanao governor Andal S. Ampatuan, Sr., are among the accused.

The clan is believed to have masterminded the murder of a rival family, including 31 journalists.