Justice sector pushes tighter coordination to speed up cases

The country’s justice agencies are pushing closer coordination among police, prosecutors and courts to reduce delays in case processing, with criminal cases accounting for nearly three-fourths of new trial court filings.

The two-day Justice Sector Coordinating Council Summit at the Manila Hotel on 21 and 22 September brought together the Supreme Court, Department of Justice and Department of the Interior and Local Government to strengthen information-sharing and joint initiatives.

During the Justice Zone Exchange Workshop, Court of Appeals Associate Justice Jaime Fortunato Caringal discussed the “3Cs” model of communication, cooperation and coordination among institutions handling cases.

Caringal said 495,527 cases were filed before Philippine trial courts in 2025, with criminal cases accounting for 74.6 percent.

He noted that criminal cases have consistently made up nearly 75 percent of filings since 2018, underscoring the need for reforms focused on the criminal justice system.

Caseloads were also concentrated geographically, with the National Capital Region and Calabarzon accounting for 38.6 percent of the national docket, more than the combined caseload of the eight lowest-volume regions.

Caringal said 57.3 percent of decided cases nationwide were resolved through compromise or judicial dispute resolution rather than a full trial. In first-level courts, the figure reached 70.3 percent.

“If we can move the settlement earlier, before a case even reaches a judge, we could save an enormous amount of court time,” he said.

He also cited fragmented coordination as a challenge, with individual cases passing sequentially through police, prosecutors, courts and detention facilities.

The 3Cs model seeks to improve communication across these agencies to streamline case processing and reduce unnecessary delays.

The summit also tackled protections for women in conflict with the law through a rights-based and gender-responsive manual and protocol presented by Court of Appeals Associate Justice Wilhelmina Jorge-Wagan and FAIR Justice Program consultant Maricel Aguilar.

The manual is intended to help women understand the criminal justice process from arrest and detention through trial, appeal and reintegration.

“Dito po, ina-affirm po natin yung kanyang voice at agency sa bawat decision point,” Aguilar said.

A complementary protocol provides guidance to barangays, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts and detention and correctional facilities in handling cases involving women in conflict with the law.