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By Jomar Canlas, Reporter
CHIEF Justice Reynato Puno
ordered the Court of Appeals and the Office of the Court
Administrator to dig up all the cases involving political and media
killings that will be tried by the newly created special courts.
In separate directives to CA
Presiding Justice Ruben Reyes and Supreme Court Administrator
Christopher Lock, Puno said he wanted to know the status of the
cases with a view to speeding up their disposition.
Puno said he has also directed
the Office of the Administrator to order the trial courts to conduct
an inventory of the cases, “determine the particular courts where
these are pending and indicate what stage of the trial the cases are
in.”
The OCA is in charge of all
Regional Trial and Municipal Trial Courts.
“I have additionally instructed
that the progress of the trial be closely monitored to determine if
there is a delay in the trial, what the cause of this delay is and
to determine possible remedial measures,” Puno said.
He said he ordered the creation
of the special courts in response to the observation that numerous
cases involving killings of political activists and members of the
media have been pending before various courts.
Copies of Puno’s memorandum
were sent to CA Clerk of Court Elisa Pilar-Longalong and the
Court’s 69 members with a marginal note from Reyes “for strict
compliance.”
Lock assigned his deputy court
administrators, led by Reuben de la Cruz, to look for the political
and media killings cases in the court nationwide.
Under Administrative Order
25-2007, about a hundred Regional Trial Courts were designated to
hear, try and decide cases involving political and media killings.
In the National Capital Region
alone, 23 regional trial courts were designated as Special Courts.
The Supreme Court also issued
guidelines to help the courts determine what constitutes a
“political killing.” To be considered are the victim’s
political affiliation, the method of attack and reports that state
agents are involved in the commission of the crime or have
acquiesced in them.
The Special Courts will hold a
continuous trial for the cases and must have terminate it within 60
days.
A judgment must be rendered
within 30 days upon a case’s submission for decision.
The Special Courts will be
required to submit a monthly report on the status of the cases.
Failure to submit the report shall be a ground for withholding the
salaries and allowances of the judges, clerks of court and branch
clerks of the court concerned.
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