Supreme Court addressing logistical issues in judiciary operations amid COVID-19 crisis -Leonen

The Supreme Court is "slowly attending" to issues on public transportation, internet, and even landline connection that affect court workers and litigants amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said Wednesday.

At a webinar hosted by the Court Appointments Watch, Leonen said the SC has already piloted authorizing courts to conduct their own procurement "in a limited way."

"We are in the thick of assessing that pilot project and perhaps sooner or later we will be able to empower the executive judges more in terms of their own procurement," he said.

A participant in the webinar left a comment raising concerns on internet connectivity as the judiciary starts holding hearings through videoconferencing, saying the lower courts are "demoralized" by the SC's "apparent disregard" of their situation.

The SC has also offered rapid testing for judges, but only in the National Capital Region, prompting one judge from Pampanga to ask the SC to reconsider its decision. Leonen said he will relay the comment to his colleagues.

Leonen said that the SC would appreciate it if specific problems are raised before the Office of the Court Administrator.

In urging judges and court personnel to take care of the people and themselves, he added that "a lot of it is dependent on your own diligence and initiative."

"And I have seen lots of judges caring so much about their staff that they have in fact produced a lot of the precautions before the Supreme Court has made them mandatory, and I thank all of them," the justice said.

When asked about jail congestion, Leonen said they in the SC "do what we can" and said court initiatives have resulted in the release of at least 22,000 detainees during the COVID-19 crisis.

In a series of administrative circulars, Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta allowed the electronic submission of applications for bail and other court pleadings as well as reduced bail for indigent detainees.

A petition seeking the release of elderly and sickly detainees amid the pandemic remains pending before the SC.

Leonen added that Janet Lim Napoles, Jason Ivler, and former Palawan governor Joel Reyes have also sought humanitarian release.

The justice also said that "it was only when the pandemic happened that suddenly people started to realize" the problem of jail congestion, claiming that it was also a matter of "lack of advocacy in terms of our jails."

"Again it's symptomatic of something else, but as far as the courts are concerned, we can assure you that we are trying our best to see how we can facilitate either the trial or release of many of the people there," he said.

He said authorities may also have to look into the current infrastructure of the country's jails, the types of penalties prescribed by criminal laws, as well as the kinds of parole.

Simplified rules and requirements for applications for parole and executive clemency took effect on May 15. As of May 21, 117 inmates have been granted parole under the interim guidelines, according to the Department of Justice. —AOL, GMA News