Supreme Court wants green courthouse

CEBU, Philippines - Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez said that the Supreme Court wants to build a green courthouse.

“We just have to come up with the design of the building. Of course, we want to have a climate-proof building and have to consider the environment,” he said.   Last Thursday, Marquez was in Cebu and spoke about climate-proofing the judiciary.

He said they wanted that the air can flow freely inside the building, use solar panels, and place plants within the vicinity.  When asked for an update of the construction of the Palace of Justice, Marquez said there is no definite plan yet, though they are currently considering two areas.

“The Supreme Court has a lot in South Road Properties and another one in downtown in Cebu City,” he said.

According to the court administrator, as of the moment, they are “shaping up” the construction of the Judicial Complex, which will house the Court of Appeals and possibly the trial courts, including the Regional Trial Court and Municipal Trial Court in Cities, at the SRP.

Marquez added that they are presently prioritizing the Cebu City courts, which is being housed in a temporary area in Qimonda IT Center along North Reclamation Area.

“The immediate priority is for them to have a better working environment. Hopefully, we can transfer them in the next two to three months, same building but different floors, with air-conditioned unit, and courtrooms,” he said. —/NSA (FREEMAN)