DAVAO CITY -- The country's third Justice Zone, set up through the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC) supported by the European Union, was launched Thursday in this city.
A key component of the government’s Governance in Justice (GOJUST) program, the Justice Zone is seen as a vital mechanism to push reform in the justice sector.
The opening of the Justice Zone was led by Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin, Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Eduardo Año, European Ambassador Franz Jessen, and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra,
Davao Regional Executive Judge Emmanuel Carpio said the Justice Zone has been envisioned to help develop and implement a credible strategy to develop the country's justice system in selected areas through the GOJUST program.
Justice Zone is an area where local justice sector agencies such as the Philippine National Police (PNP), prosecutors, judges, public attorneys, and managers of detention facilities identify common problems and find common solutions.
The GOJUST program is funded by the EU, with the United Nations Office for Project Services as a partner in implementing the initiative.
Given Davao City’s huge population, large area and diverse culture, Carpio said the opening of the Justice Zone is significant because it promotes active participation of the three interrelated components in laying out reforms through strengthening of coordination and policy-making; creating space for reform implementation through decongestion and automation; and, generating resources of reform through the improvement of administrative and financial management.
“These intended reforms will certainly augment and strengthen many programs and innovations already integrated by the Supreme Court to de-clog the dockets of the courts,” Carpio said.
Among the programs are the Hustisyeah Program, E-Court System, E-Subpoena, the revised guidelines for the continuous trial of criminal cases, and the decision of the Supreme Court in Estipona Case which allows plea-bargain in drug cases.
EU Ambassador Franz Jessen said the Justice Sector Coordinating Council--spearheaded by the Supreme Court, Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)--and the Justice Zone at the local level will serve as mechanisms for bringing about reforms in the justice sector.
“We are confident that this event will spur similar efforts in other parts of the country on local justice coordination,” Jessen said. (PNA)
