Justice on Wheels frees 23 inmates in Las Piñas

MANILA, Philippines — At least 23 inmates at the Las Piñas City Jail were granted freedom on Friday following a marathon hearings conducted by the Supreme Court’s Enhanced Justice on Wheels (JOW) program. In a press statement, the high court said Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno personally led the mobile courts which heard the lawsuits, raging from violation of child abuse law (RA 7610), estafa (fraud), and drugs-related cases. Puno and his staff, with Justice Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, were welcomed to the city by Rep. Cynthia Villar, a representative of of Mayor Vergel Aguilar, Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Leopoldo Baraquia, Vice Mayor Henry Medina, former executive judge Joselito Vibandor, and city officials. Among the detainees acquitted in a promulgation penned by Judge Baraquia was Lenny R. Barrantes, charged with drug use (caught while holding pot session), for insufficient evidence. Based on City Jail records, 457 detainees are under custody, composed of 391 males and 66 females. Mayor Vergel “Nene" Aguilar lauded the program of the high tribunal citing its dedication and compassion for those seeking for fair justice. The mayor called on the people to support the JOW program as this will ensure the basic rights of individuals, including inmates who are waiting their day in court. The Enhanced JOW program, in conjunction with the Court’s Increasing Access to Justice by the Poor Program, is part of the efforts to respond to the gaps and roadblocks under the justice system that limit the less privileged from seeking redress from the courts. The mobile courts have become vehicle for justice to the poor as it also aimed to address the twin problems of clogged court dockets and jail congestion. Remarkably, unlike other cities of Metro Manila, Las Piñas has no backlog of cases in 10 regional trial court branches and one city court branch, the Supreme Court team found. - D'Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV