MANILA, Philippines Seven more inmates, including a female detainee, at the Manila City Jail were released from detention in hearings conducted on Friday in a mobile court under the Supreme Courts Justice on Wheels Project and the Increasing Access to Justice Program, the tribunal said on Saturday.
Released were Carlos Romero, Maricel Malvin, Reynaldo Mangila, Jerome Bonhoc, John Roy Agila, and Manolito Lanugan Jr., said a press statement from the high courts Public Information Office.
It said the criminal cases against the seven inmates were provisionally dismissed by Judge Ma. Theresa Dolores C. Gomez-Estoesa of Manila Regional Trial Court, Branch 7, for failure of the prosecution to come up with witnesses.
Estoesta heard the inmates cases inside the JOW mobile court parked at the Central Market of Manila near the MCJ compound.
The proceedings were observed by Assistant Court Administrator Nimfa C. Vilches, vice chair of the Committee on Justice on Wheels Project, and Jose Midas P. Marquez, assistant court administrator and chief of staff of the Office of the Chief Justice.
Five inmates of the city jail and four youth offenders from the Manila Youth Reception Center were earlier released on July 9 on the first day of the Justice on Wheels project.
Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno and Manila City Mayor Alfredo S. Lim launched the twin projects on July 9 as part of the Supreme Courts continuing efforts to decongest jailhouses and bring justice closer to the people,
Lim was the first local government chief to respond to the judiciarys call for concerted efforts to bringing justice closer to the people.
Puno has urged all the pillars of the criminal justice system to establish a mechanism to more effectively address the speedy disposition of cases, as a means of increasing access to justice. - GMANews.TV