By: Rey G. Panaligan
A total of 1,162 detainees have been released during the recent celebration of “Judgment Day,” a nationwide project of the Supreme Court to unclog court dockets and decongest jails.
Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez said the project was simultaneously held in 14 venues last Nov. 17 during the anniversary of the SC Office of the Court Administrator.
OCA statistics showed that most of the prisoners released were in Metro Manila – 311 in Quezon City, 223 in Manila, and 31 in Makati City.
In Luzon, 129 detainees were released from Malolos City in Bulacan, 55 from Batangas City, 78 from Angeles City in Pampanga, seven from Cagayan City, and 38 from Baguio City.
In Visayas and Mindanao, 54 detainees were released from Cebu City, 10 from Lapu-Lapu City, 35 from Iloilo City, 22 from Mandaue City, 99 from Bacolod City, and 70 from Davao City.
Marquez said the detainees were released after their cases were heard by the trial courts in their areas. The trial courts heard a total of 6,336 cases and disposed of 3,883 of them, he said.
“The annual national judgment day is another effort to unclog our court dockets and decongest our jails across the country, more so at this time during the current administration’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs,” Marquez stressed.
“It is likewise very timely as our courts nationwide implement reforms the Supreme Court has initiated – the Continuous Trial Guidelines for Criminal Cases,” he added.
