I was inspired by a letter to the editor that appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on
“…many of our courtrooms are moved, shunted or relocated to whatever old, abandoned public buildings a town or city can spare, with the roof and ceiling in some of these buildings ready to collapse and with no provision for much else, much less some decent restrooms”;
“…Old, dusty and rotting files are baled and piled everywhere”;
“Why, for instance, can we not rent some suitable warehouse with a professional librarian or custodian to take care of these old records? Our court personnel are crammed into makeshift spaces, sometimes eight or 10 in a tiny room”;
“…our courtrooms could very well serve as a microcosm of the dire state of our country and the distorted sense of priorities which our government leaders have pursued since we took over from our colonizers”;
“It took centuries for Western civilization to devise this system of administration of justice, removing it from the clutter, noise and chaos of the mob and the marketplace and housing it within the four walls of order and decorum, dignity and respectability. It has taken less than half a century for us to degrade and plunder what could well be one of the greatest gifts we inherited from our Western colonizers.”
Inspired by the said item, I wrote the Executive Judge of Las Pinas City, where my law office is based and whose local Bar Association I founded in 2001, the following letter, copy furnished the local officials of the city and the Supreme Court, thus:
Personal Delivery
Hon. LEOPOLDO BARAQUIA
Executive Judge
Regional Trial Court
Las
Re : INFRASTRUCTURAL AND OTHER NEEDS
OF THE LOCAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Mabuhay:
Enclosed is a copy of an item that appeared in the Opinion Section of the Philippine Daly Inquirer on
Taking inspiration from the said item, may I respectfully refer the matter to your good Office, with the hope that your good self, with the kind support and assistance of the City Mayor and the Congressional Representative, would continue your regular collective discussions, consultations, and efforts to improve the facilities and premises of the different pillars of our local justice system and to insure the speedy disposal of increased quantities of pending cases and the adequate and prompt delivery of social justice and other judicial reliefs to our local populace.
I hope our supportive City Mayor and Vice Mayor would give priority funding and attention to the physical needs and other institutional requirements of our local justice system, with the assistance and kindness of our dedicated Congressional Representative and the supportive interventions and guidance of the Supreme Court.
The local Bar is ready to support your plans and efforts along this line, knowing that the improvement of the physical infrastructures of the administration of justice directly contributes to the stability and the strength of the democratic system and the rule of law.
Feel free anytime to communicate with the Board of our Bar Association in this regard. Have a blessed and liberated day. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Atty. Manuel Laserna Jr.
Founder and Board Consultant
Las Pinas City Bar Association Inc.
Cc (via Fax):
Hon. Vergel “Nene” Aguilar
City Mayor
Las
Hon. Cynthia Villar
Representative
Las
Hon. Henry Medina
Vice Mayor
Las
Office of the Court Administrator
Supreme Court
Hon. Chief Justice
Supreme Court
Atty. Antonio Manzano
Incumbent Chairman, LPBA
Atty. Purita Fajilan
Incumbent President, LPBA
Before I finally bow out of the legal profession, I would like to make an appeal to the authorities concerned to try to do something to improve the decrepit, dilapidated, if not downright disgraceful, state of our courtrooms and court facilities all over the country. It seems many of our courtrooms are moved, shunted or relocated to whatever old, abandoned public buildings a town or city can spare, with the roof and ceiling in some of these buildings ready to collapse and with no provision for much else, much less some decent restrooms. Old, dusty and rotting files are baled and piled everywhere. Why, for instance, can we not rent some suitable warehouse with a professional librarian or custodian to take care of these old records? Our court personnel are crammed into makeshift spaces, sometimes eight or 10 in a tiny room. Indeed, our courtrooms could very well serve as a microcosm of the dire state of our country and the distorted sense of priorities which our government leaders have pursued since we took over from our colonizers. In fairness, for all his faults, we should credit Mayor Jejomar Binay and the city of It took centuries for Western civilization to devise this system of administration of justice, removing it from the clutter, noise and chaos of the mob and the marketplace and housing it within the four walls of order and decorum, dignity and respectability. It has taken less than half a century for us to degrade and plunder what could well be one of the greatest gifts we inherited from our Western colonizers. No bank or any other respectable business would even think of opening shop except in the right location and with impressive “interiors.” While the courts have tried mightily to maintain some dignity by requiring the lawyers to appear in “proper attire,” no such rule is imposed on the litigants who seem free to come as they please, as if they were going to a cockpit. (In fact, cockpits appear better built and equipped these days.) Unless order and decorum are vigilantly maintained, a court would eventually deteriorate into what would look like a convention of fish vendors in a marketplace. In brief, and in case we haven’t realized it yet, physical arrangements are part of the administration of justice. If we are to value, as we should, our system of administration of justice as the last bastion of our democratic way of life, let’s put our money where our mouth is. Let’s start building better courtrooms. Now! JAMES D. LANSANG, |
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