Detention centers still have space even without court hearings
CEBU, Philippines - Despite the delay in the hearing of some cases due to the absence of offices for judges, the police said they have enough room in their stockades to accommodate offenders.
Senior Supt. Noel Gillamac, Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) director, said detention cells in the respective police stations of the towns and cities of Cebu are not yet congested and can still hold more people.
Cebu Province has 44 municipalities and six component cities.
“So far wala pa man mi scheduled hearings kay we have areas nga dunay RTC (Regional Trial Court) nga pwede mo-hold og hearing,†Gillamac told The FREEMAN in a phone interview.
Only the cities of Talisay, Toledo, Danao and Bogo have RTCs that also hear criminal cases from nearby municipalities.
Gillamac said that for some of the complaints they filed, the prosecutor immediately files the case information to the court, which would right away issue a commitment order for the arrested person to be remanded to the provincial and city jails as soon as possible.
“Ang uban ana mga drugs cases unya ang judge bisan walay office pwede man maka-sign; there’s no need for a hearing,†he said.
He hoped that the courts would soon find a building so court hearings would soon resume after the Marcelo Fernan Hall of Justice was declared unsafe for occupancy following the Oct. 15 earthquake.
As of now, officials of the local judicial offices work inside tents set up outside the Hall of Justice in the Capitol compound. Others stayed inside the nearby Integrated Bar of the Philippines office. —(FREEMAN)
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