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Monday, March 5, 2007

100 special courts to try activist slays

By Jomar Canlas, Reporter

THE Supreme Court has appointed a hundred regional trial courts nationwide to try cases involving political and media killings.

Administrative Order 25-2007 assigned 23 RTCs in the National Judicial Capital Region (NCJR).

Court Division chairmen, Chief Justice Reynato Puno, Associate Justice Leonardo Quisumbing and Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, signed the order.

There will be three special courts each in Manila (Branches 26, 39, 50), Quezon City (Bran­ches 95, 97, 219), and Makati City (Branches 133, 148, 150) and two each in the cities of Pasay (Branches 114, 118), Ka­lookan (Branches 129, 131), and Pasig (Branches 157, 265).

One special court will be designated in the cities of Taguig (Branch 271), San Juan (Branch 160), Malabon (Branch 73), Marikina (Branch 263), Mandaluyong (Branch 212), Parañaque (Branch 260), Las Piñas (Branch 255) and Mun­tinlupa (Branch 204).

Guidelines

The Court also issued guidelines to determine whether or not the crime is a “political killing.”

Prosecutors should consider the political affiliation of the victim, the method of attack and reported involvement—or acquiescence—of state agents in the crime.

The order said all single sala courts are considered special courts for the cases involving killings of activists and members of media, and need to prioritize these cases in their trial calendars.

In places where there are no designated special courts, the branches where the political and media murders are raffled shall act as special courts, the order added.

The special courts shall conduct continuous trial and have to terminate cases within 60 days from the start of the hearing.

Judgments should be rendered within 30 days upon a case’s submission for decision unless the law or the High Court mandates a shorter period.

Sanctions

The RTCs designated as special courts shall continue to perform their functions even after the resignation, retirement, death, dismissal from the judicial service, transfer, detail or promotion of the incumbent judges appointed to preside over the slay cases.

Their successors, whether permanent or temporary, shall act as presiding judges of these Special Courts unless the Court directs otherwise.

The Court said no postponement or continuance would be allowed except for clearly meritorious reasons. It warned of sanctions against dilatory pleadings or motions.

If there is only one special court in the station, the pairing system for multiple-branch stations shall apply.

If there are two special courts in the station, the executive judge shall immediately raffle the case by to the other court or another special court of the same nature.

If the pairing judge is also disqualified or inhibits, the case shall be raffled to the other regular courts.

The special courts will be required to report on the status of the concerned cases every month.

Failure to submit this report would be a ground for withholding the salaries and allowances of judges, clerks of court, branch clerks, the Court warned.

Executive judges

The High Court designated executive judges and vice-executive judges for the first and second level courts in the National Capital Judicial Region and the 12 judicial regions.

An executive judge coordinates with the management of the first- and second-level courts, exercises supervision over the judges and personnel, and balances the workload among the courts.

Executive judges shall also act on petitions for bail and other urgent matters on Saturday afternoons after 1 p.m., Sundays, and official holidays, and oversee the holding night sessions in Metro Manila and key cities nationwide.

The executive judges for the RTCs in the NCR are Judge Reynaldo G. Ros (Manila), Judge Romeo G. Zamora (Quezon City), Judge Pedro B. Corales (Pasay City), Judge Calixtro O. Adriatico (Caloocan City), Judge Winlove M. Dumayas (Makati City), Judge Amelia C. Ma­nalastas (Pasig City), Judge Emmanuel D. Laurea (Malabon City), Judge Geraldine Fiel Macaraig (Marikina City), Judge Maria A. Cancino-Erum (Man­daluyong City), Judge Zosimo V. Escano (Parañaque City), Judge Leo­poldo E. Baraquia (Las Piñas City), Judge Patria Manalastas De Leon (Muntinlupa City) and Judge Maria Nena J. Santos (Valenzuela City).