‘Text your plea to the court’

Court Administrator Midas Marquez: Declogging courts through modern technology. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines—The Justice on Wheels program of the Supreme Court rolled into the summer capital on May 23 to help declog Baguio courts by resolving up to 147 pending cases.

But the mobile court, which was popularized by retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno in 2008, may eventually become outdated.

As modern technology improves month after month, the high court is experimenting with smartphones and the Internet to speed up court cases by allowing some legal procedures to be undertaken online or even by text messaging, said Court Administrator Midas Marquez, who had been going around Luzon.

Marquez said the high court has piloted e-courts in key Metro Manila cities, and has encouraged judges to draw up case decongestion plans to shorten the litigation process.

Technology would not render the mobile courts obsolete in the near future. Many communities still have no available courts or have courts situated in areas with no Internet or mobile telephone services, Marquez said.–Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon