Puno to Manila judges: Expedite cases to decongest jails
By Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 10:24:00 07/09/2008
Filed Under: Crime, Law & Justice
MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) Chief Justice Reynato Puno has asked lower court judges in Manila to expedite the dispensation of justice and learn to prioritize their cases to avoid overcrowding jails.
Puno made this appeal in a meeting with Metropolitan and Regional Trial Court judges during his visit to the Manila City Jail Wednesday.
Puno expressed dismay when he saw the prison filled with overstaying inmates.
He told judges that they should empathize with the inmates.
"You should consider their situation in jails and look at the plight of the inmates," Puno said.
There are 4,602 male and 912 inmates at the Manila City
Jail.
The city’s legal department has asked the jail warden to submit the exact number of overstaying inmates.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court's Justice on Wheels has released three inmates: Ronnie Dampin, 38, for concealing a deadly weapon; Rainier John Cruz, 24, whose case was downgraded from frustrated murder to slight physical injury; and Aldrich Dela Cruz, 20, who was jailed on robbery and hold-up charges but has been provisionally released.
Puno said Manila would be where they would conduct the pilot project for the decongestion of jails. He said there would be consultations with the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the city government for solutions on how to expedite the dispensation of justice.
Puno said the poor were losing hope due to the inaccessibility of justice in the country.
Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim admitted that there have been lapses committed by various sectors that have led to the overcrowding of jails.
He thanked Puno for deciding to implement the decongestion program in Manila.
|
