Detainees in Pampanga provincial jail called on the attention of the Supreme Court (SC) on the slow resolution of their cases.
In a three-page letter to SC Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez last Monday, they complained about the 鈥渧ery slow setting of hearings in various courts and judges鈥� handling their criminal cases.
鈥淚t (the setting of hearings) takes a long time and most of us have almost only one hearing per year鈥� There are those whose cases have ran for 10 to 15 years and still have no resolution up to this day,鈥� the handwritten letter in Filipino signed by detainees with pending cases before the Regional Trial Court Branches 41 to 48, 54 and 55.
The detainees said they already called the attention of the Executive Judge Divina Luz Simbulan, but their pleas were unanswered.
鈥淲e told her about our concerns, but she just ignored us,鈥� they said.
鈥淓ven if we are detainees, we still hope to start a brand new life with our families. But because of the slow justice system here, our hopes have been destroyed,鈥� they lamented.
鈥淲e are hoping for your attention and immediate action, for the sake of our families,鈥� they appealed.
Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno has been targeting speedy resolution of court cases to declog dockets and decongest jails as part of her judicial reform program.
The SC has also been implementing the Justice on Wheels project for the same purposes.