DAVAO CITY—The Department of Justice in Davao Region has achieved significant gains in the efforts to decongest court dockets and also jails.
“Under the leadership of Department of Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla there were a lot of swift changes that were introduced to ensure that the justice system will address crucial issues like court congestion, and I also mentioned jail congestion and also an emphasis on the primacy of human rights in the administration of justice,” said Regional State Prosecutor Janet Grace Dalisay-Fabrero during her guesting at the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas held Tuesday (Aug. 27) at the NCCC VP.
One of the changes implemented under the leadership of DOJ Secretary Remulla is the case buildup, where prosecutors must ensure there is enough evidence for a reasonable certainty of conviction.
RSP Dalisay-Fabrero said that in 2022 they only have an 85.6% prosecution success rate but when the case buildup was introduced the rate is now at 95%.
She said the case buildup will free up court cases and also alleviate jail congestion.
“Kaya nagkaroon tayo ng case buildup, na mandatory na sa lahat ng prosecutors. It is designed to address on court congestion. Ang daming kaso to file, ang daming nakukulong and eventually ma-acquit ang kaso and they have been in jail for a long time and it ended up pala in an acquittal,” RSP Dalisay-Fabrero said.
(That is why we have case buildup, where it is mandatory for prosecutors. It is designed to address court congestion, there were many cases filed so many in detention and eventually it will lead to acquittal. They have been in jail for a long time and it just ended in an acquittal)
“With this case buildup we make sure we file quality cases,” she added.
They also conducted reassessment of all cases in the lower courts, where many cases were filed but upon evaluation if they cannot secure conviction these cases are withdrawn.
Another change was the reduction of bail bond to qualified indigent accused.
“The indigents (accused) if they qualify, they can avail of the reduction of bail up to P10,000,” the Regional State Prosecutor said.
They have also allowed recognizance if it can be shown that the person can actually take the responsibility of appearing in court if necessary.
DOJ Department Circular 13 issued in February of 2023 considers the financial capacity of the accused when recommending the amount of bail in criminal informations filed in court.
The new circular strengthens recognizance law (Republic Act 10389) where recognizance is a mode of securing the release of an indigent individual who cannot afford bail. (PIA/RG Alama)
