With at least 12K cases up for review, DOJ works double-time to cut backlog

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) has “about anywhere from 12,000 to 14,000 pending” cases for review, an agency official said Wednesday.

Justice Undersecretary Adrian Sugay said parties file petitions for review before the Office of the Secretary if they are unsatisfied with the results of the preliminary investigation conducted by prosecutors of the National Prosecution Service (NPS) over a case.

The petitions will be resolved either by the Justice Secretary or one of his undersecretaries.

“Our last count is at about anywhere from 12,000 to 14,000 pending,” Sugay said.

“So we’re taking measures to ensure that all of these petitions are resolved or addressed properly,” he added.

He noted that the backlog of cases pending review dates back to even before the Duterte administration.

“We were talking about anywhere from 10,000 to 11,000 ang inabot na namin dito (when we got here) and then add another 2,000 to 3,000 petitions filed after June 30, 2016,” Sugay said.

Also, he added, “petitions [continue] to come in on a regular basis, continue to be raffled.”

He said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra and his undersecretaries are working double-time to bring down the numbers to “a very manageable level.”

“We also have been really working double-time to make sure that we can really bring it down to a very manageable level so when were finished here and with the new Prosecutor General, konti na lang at manageable na ‘yung level ng petitions for review,” Sugay said. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)