THERE’S no question that judges and court employees need to move out of the damaged Palace of Justice, Supreme Court Administrator Midas Marquez said yesterday.
Marquez, who also met Mayor Michael Rama, said he is amenable for the judges and court employees to hold hearings temporarily at the Cebu Eastern College (CEC) building along D. Jakosalem Street, Cebu City.
He also said the High Court would have to assess how much they can spend to renovate the old courthouse.
“This building is scheduled for renovation anyway so we’ll transfer them somewhere,” Marquez said.
The city government has likewise offered another venue for a new court building.
“Reconstructing a new building will cost a lot. If that’s the case, why not buy your own property? Remember, the Palace of Justice doesn’t own the land where it presently stands,” Jade Ponce, Mayor Michael Rama’s executive assistant said.
Last Wednesday, Mayor Rama suggested that the judges and court employees relocate temporarily to the vacant Cebu Eastern College campus at D. Jakosalem Street, Cebu City.
Accompanied by Regional Trial Court (RTC) Executive Judge Soliver Peras and an engineer, Marquez went inside the Palace of Justice which had previously been declared “unfit for occupancy” by the Office of the Building Official (OBO).
At risk
Marquez talked with court employees who stayed in tents outside the Palace of Justice before he had lunch with the judges. He later met with Mayor Rama at Cebu City Hall.
“Mukhang kailangan na talangang lumipat. (Apparently, they need to transfer to another building. It’s dangerous. We don’t want any of our judges and court personnel to be at risk,” Marquez told reporters.
Marquez said the High Court will coordinate with Mayor Rama to help local court employees find a temporary courthouse.
He said the SC already allocated a budget for the renovation of the Palace of Justice.
But since the building sustained structural damage from the earthquake, Marquez said they may need to assess how much will actually be spent.
Ponce said the city is willing to assist the judiciary find a vacant space where the Palace of Justice will be rebuilt.
“We could make the arrangements. After all, the city can benefit from this. It’s up to the Supreme Court to decide upon,” he said.
Ponce suggested the South Road Properties (SRP), saying it will help decongest the city’s traffic.
Own decision
Ponce, who attended the meeting between Marquez and Rama, confirmed that the SC administrator agreed to the use of the CEC building as a temporary venue.
He said Marquez can only speak on behalf of the RTC and Municipal Court judges.
The CEC building is owned by the Chinese community and can accommodate about 700 to 800 persons.
“It (temporary courthouse) has to be at the heart of the city,” Rama said.
Ponce said the city and provincial prosecutors and the public attorney’s office are under the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“They must also come up with their own decision on the evacuation because Marquez can’t speak for them,” he said.
Alvin Santillana, operations head of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said that they are still negotiating with shipping companies to borrow container vans that would temporarily store court documents.
Ponce said 10 court personnel accompanied by a disaster management team will be allowed entry into the Palace of Justice to recover court records of pending cases and archive documents. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol, Correspondent Jose Santino S. Bunachita and STC Intern Fresha Anne Endico