Inmates testifying via videoconferencing to be tested in Davao

Supreme Court-approved guidelines on the use of videoconferencing technology to allow high-risk or seriously ill inmates to appear or testify in court remotely will be tested in Davao starting this year.

The guidelines allow inmates "considered to be high-risk or afflicted with highly contagious diseases" to appear or testify through videoconferencing to eliminate safety, security, and health risks posed by their personal appearance, while guaranteeing their rights to be present in court and confront witnesses, the SC Public Information Office said Tuesday.

Drafted by a special committee chaired by Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta and approved by the Court en banc last June 25, the guidelines will take effect on September 1.

They will be pilot-tested for a maximum of two years between the Davao City Hall of Justice and the Davao City Jail; the Davao City Hall of Justice and the Special Intensive Care Area at Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan; and the Davao City Hall of Justice and the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

After the testing, the Office of the Court Administrator is tasked to submit a report on the project.

Asked why Davao was the chosen venue for the pilot test, Court spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka said he believes the reasons were the present infrastructure, setup and the proximity of the courts and the jail.

"It was therefore easier to set it up there," he told GMA News Online, adding that he was informed there are high-risk prisoners detained in the Davao City Jail.

Apart from inmates considered to be high-risk or seriously ill, the guidelines also allow any other inmate who voluntarily consents to remotely appear or testify in court via videoconferencing provided that they file the proper motion to be resolved by the appropriate court.

The guidelines also provide the rules on the necessary arrangements for videoconferencing, including a prior test, the location of the inmates' lawyer and facilities for their private communication, and the retention of an encrypted master copy of the video file as part of the case records. — MDM, GMA News