Marikina Rotarians come to jailbirds’ aid

“Juan, Malaya Ka Na!” is a humanitarian project of the Rotary Club of Marikina West (RCMW), popularly known as The Golden West in Rotary International Ditrict 3800.

Held in cooperation with the Marikina City judiciary and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology,  the project has dual objectives: Provide free legal aid to qualified criminal defendants who are currently languishing in the Marikina City Jail unjustifiably beyond the legal period for their preventive detention, and help decongest the overcrowded jail.

RCMW, which has several high-caliber lawyers from top law firms in its roster, rendered their services to criminal defendants pro bono.

During the simultaneous promulgation of judgment in eight Marikina regional trial court and metropolitan trial court branches on Dec. 13, 2013, 112 defendants had their cases either dismissed or were acquitted and ordered released.

On that day alone, around 20 inmates were immediately released while the rest were set to be freed pending completion of their release orders, just in time for their Christmas celebration with their families.  A Thanksgiving Mass was also held at the jail, where the inmates were joined by RCMW Rotarians, spouses and family members.

RCMW’s humanitarian project will continue in the years to come to fulfill one of the Rotary Club’s areas of focus: peace and conflict resolution. Rey John A. Fantone