GENERAL SANTOS CITY (1 October 2013) – City Mayor Ronnel Rivera along with the Supreme Court (SC) spearheaded the launching of the Enhanced Justice on Wheels Program (EJOW) in General Santos City last week.
According to Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo of the Supreme Court, GenSan was chosen for the EJOW with the purpose of making access to justice by the less-fortunate easier in the city.
Mayor Rivera expressed his gratitude to the SC for putting EJOW in GenSan and assured the SC of the full cooperation of the local government in bringing accessible and speedy justice to the Generals or GenSan residents.
Rivera also discussed with Del Castillo the possibility of adding EJOW as a regular part of the city’s “Barangayan” program to provide legal services to the people.
Perlita Balayo, an inmate of the City Jail for seven years, was thankful to the EJOW initiative of the city after she was finally cleared of illegal drug possession charges which she was wrongfully accused of.
“I’m happy that my release was expedited with the help of EJOW. I can be with my family once again,” she said in vernacular.
Balayo is one out of 70 inmates whose cases were resolved during the EJOW hearing, including seven Indonesian nationals who had been detained for possessing 17 heads of Sulawesi Bear Cuscus without permit.
Indonesian Consul Tatiana Handayani who was present during the promulgation bared her contentment for the release of the Indonesian nationals.
Since 2004, according to Del Castillo, the EJOW has resulted in the release of 7,556 inmates, successful case mediation of 4,563 prisoners, dispatched 13,000 cases, medical services to 16,984 inmates, and trained 23,978 barangay officials and indigenous people through legal information dissemination.
The EJOW holds court hearings to decide cases of selected prisoners, provides legal mediation for remediable cases, information dissemination of recent laws to barangay officials, jail visitation and free medical services, dialogue with SC officials and team building of court personnel.
Aside from the Supreme Court, the EJOW was also brought to GenSan in part by the Integrated Bar of Philippines, Philippine Judicial Academy, Public Attorneys’ Office, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and several prosecutors and lawyers. (GENSAN INFO OFFICE/Ian John M. Lagare)
No comments:
Post a Comment