Justice on Wheels Frees 84 Inmates in Albay

LEGAZPI CITY, June 17 - The Supreme Court's (SC) Justice on Wheels (JOW) has gained another milestone in bringing justice to inmates in Albay after it freed 84 of them at the Albay Provincial Jail and Legazpi City Jail recently.

Supreme Court Justice Reynato Puno over the weekend led court officials in bringing a JOW mobile court to this city to hear cases of detainees still languishing in provincial and city jails, awaiting court decisions.

The freeing of 84 jail inmates brings to a total of 1,477 detainees freed nationwide since the JOW was launched in June last year. It has also terminated 10 cases after undergoing mediation, leveling 4,514 cases terminated this year across the country.

The JOW also served a total of 7,016 inmates across the country. One hundred (100) jailbirds in Albay were also given medical, dental services and free legal aide.

Puno told reporters at a press conference that the enhanced JOW program is designed to increase the access to justice to poor people who have been detained without their cases being heard.

He said the hearing was held inside the two salas on the JOW bus attending to long pending cases in the presence of the accused detainees as part of the "Enhanced Justice on Wheels and Increasing Access to Justice by the Poor Program" of the Supreme Court.

The program involves the setting up cases of detained person, giving free medical, dental and legal services to inmates, professional mediators to settle or give compromise on pending cases, and conduct lectures to village officials about people's rights and responsibilities under the present laws.

The Chief Justice said the program was launched under his stewardship, the outcome of an SC forum dubbed as "Access to justice by the poor" last year, where stakeholders advocated for the socio-economic rights of the poor.

The program, according to Puno, has a moral dimension focused on the principle of social justice which was embedded in the 1935 and the 1987 Constitutions.

Asked about the status of the court backlog of cases, Puno said it is more serious in the trial courts than in the appellate courts.

The backlog may be attributed to the unfilled salas in various trial courts, representing 19 percent of the total court salas in the country that have no presiding judge.

Puno cited low compensation package, assignment to critical areas are the reasons why practicing lawyers don't accept positions as trial court judge.

The Chief Justice together with Justice Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, JOW committee project chair, met and dialogued with court officials and members of the local chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP). (PNA)