Over 300 inmates freed in Kidapawan through Justice on Wheels

At least 300 inmates at the North Cotabato District Jail had their cases resolved after a day of simultaneous hearings under the Enhanced Justice on Wheels (EJOW) program. (Photo courtesy of the Office of the Court Administrator)

MANILA, Philippines — More than 300 inmates at the Northern Cotabato District Jail in Kidapawan City were released on Friday after their cases were resolved after a day of simultaneous hearings under the Enhanced Justice on Wheels (EJOW) program.

“We are bringing the EJOW to different provinces in line with the directive of Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin to expedite the resolution of cases in the lower courts,” Supreme Court Administrator and spokesman Mida Marquez said.

The EJOW is a continuing nationwide program of the Supreme Court which has released some 12,000 inmates and settled more than 10,000 civil cases.

Marquez noted that aside from the cases of more than 300 inmates, the EJOW also resolved around 200 more cases in Kidapawan courts during the whole-day event.

The program was launched in 2004 to expedite the resolution of cases and decongest prison cells through simultaneous hearing of cases of indigent inmates.

The cases resolved through the program range from light offenses, such as vagrancy and domestic problems, to grave offenses such as homicide or murder, in areas lacking in judges.

The program was also conducted in the province of La Union and Benguet last September. /atm