Mobile courts fielded in Sultan Kudarat

The fully air-conditioned EJOW bus has two main sections — the front section which serves as the courtroom and the rear section which serves as the mediation room. #mobilecourts

About 33 of the 42 cases heard in one day were dismissed and five detainees were released. (EP Zambrano)

Ten mobile courts was ordered by Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta to be fielded in far-flung areas to help speed up the resolution of cases and decongestion of jails in the country.

In Sultan Kudarat, two mobile courts of the SC’s Enhanced Justice on Wheels (EJOW) were fielded last Thursday to conduct simultaneous hearings and mediation proceedings on pending cases involving detained persons.

The EJOW in the area which was under Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez’s supervision said 33 of the 42 cases heard in one day were dismissed and five detainees were released.

While trial court judges were conducting hearings inside the mobile courts, professors of the Philippine Judicial Academy (PhilJA) were giving lectures and information dissemination to more than 1,000 barangay leaders in Sultan Kudarat’s capitol grounds.

The Isulan district jail where 1,200 persons are detained was visited by SC officials, led by Marquez and Deputy Court Administrator for Mindanao Leo T. Madrazo.

Medical and dental missions and a legal aid were conducted inside the jail as part of EJOW, Marquez said.

Marquez also said a dialogue between and among the justice sector stakeholders in Sultan Kudarat were held to ensure expeditious resolution of cases and decongestion of jails.

The EJOW proceedings, particularly the jail visitation and medical and dental missions, were also attended by Sultan Kudarat Gov. Suharto T. Mangudadatu and his wife, Maguindanao Gov. Bai Mariam Mangudadatu; members of the Sultan Kudarat provincial board, judges, prosecutors, lawyers from the Public Attorneys’ Office, and private law practitioners from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

The first mobile court traveled Metro Manila roads in 2004 for the SC’s 23-day pilot run covering several youth reception centers, juvenile detention facilities and jails.

The fully air-conditioned EJOW bus has two main sections — the front section which serves as the courtroom and the rear section which serves as the mediation room.

It is provided with a presiding judge, a clerk of court, a prosecutor, a public attorney, a court stenographer, a docket clerk, a process server, a driver, and a security guard.

During its pilot-testing from December 2004 to January 2005, the mobile court was able to hear a total of 754 cases which resulted in the immediate release of 300 detainees.

Records of EJOWshowed that about 12,000 inmates had been released through the project and more than 10,000 civil disputes settled.