New Benguet prosecutor vows to expedite cases

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet ― The new provincial prosecutor here vowed to meet people’s expectations to expedite the filing of complaints as he rises up to the challenge to effect faster resolutions to ease up the mounting number of cases in the provincial prosecutor’s office. Benguet Provincial Prosecutor William T. Bacoling took his oath before Gov. Nestor Fongwan Monday at the Ben Palispis Hall of the provincial capitol with his family members, the judiciary community and the public officials and employees. Bacoling said the challenge remains to be how soon criminal complaints are acted on. “People want faster results," he told the press during the feast in his honor right after his oath-taking ceremonies. Benguet Prosecutor’s Office receives some 200 to 300 criminal cases monthly. The office processes only three or four cases daily, according to Bacoling. The judiciary considers a case resolved once it has filed appropriate charges in the proper courts, Bacoling clarified. Judicial Region I, to which Benguet belongs, is the top performing region in the entire country when it comes to resolution of cases, he said echoing Regional State Prosecutor Donato Cesar, R. Roxas, who also delivered a congratulatory message during the oath-taking ceremonies. Roxas challenged the new provincial prosecutor to live up to the expectations of the people of Benguet. He also enjoined his colleagues in the judiciary to give him a chance to prove his worth as he offered full support to Bacoling. Speaking for the provincial mayor’s league, Mayor Mario Godio of Itogon said Bacoling owes nothing to no one, that he could make decisions without hesitation. Before his appointment as provincial prosecutor Bacoling has served in the provincial prosecutor’s office since 1985. He passed the bar in 1979. With his appointment, all other prosecutors would be promoted, according to Roxas, who asked Bacoling to prepare the new lineup for the Secretary of the Department of Justice to approve. Bacoling, 57, is of Ibaloi parents who hail from Itogon and La Trinidad. His wife and children were present during the ceremonies. When the late Provincial Prosecutor Felix Cabading died of heart attack in May this year, Prosecutor George Yarte got an appointment as officer-in-charge. The provincial government, however, endorsed Bacoling to be the permanent provincial prosecutor. - Lyn V. Ramo/Northern Dispatch/GMANews.TV