Manila: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday announced that it has received valuable input from persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) as part of its ongoing review of the criminal procedure rules. The feedback was gathered through a series of stakeholder consultations held between November and December 2024 in various detention facilities.
According to Philippines News Agency, the SC is in the process of reviewing the Rules of Criminal Procedure (CRIMPRO Rules), a key element of the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovation 2022-2027 (SPJI). This initiative aims to tackle the issues of docket congestion and delays in criminal proceedings. The stakeholder consultations were designed to collect vital feedback from PDLs who are directly impacted by the proposed changes to the CRIMPRO Rules. These inputs have now been handed over to the Sub-Committee on the Revision of the Rules of Criminal Procedure.
The consultations were organized by The Asia Foundation in collaboration with the Humanitarian Legal Assistance Foundation, Inc. (HLAF) and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Rizal-San Juan-Mandaluyong Chapter, under the Australian government-supported Fostering Advancement of Inclusive and Rights-based Justice (FAIR Justice) Program. The team visited several facilities, including the La Union Provincial Jail, Angeles City District Jail, Talisay City Jail, Mandaue City Jail, Davao City Jail, Davao del Sur Provincial Jail, and the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.
The PDLs who participated encompassed a diverse range of individuals, such as women, men, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, women with children, pregnant women at the time of arrest, and mothers with children under one year old. They expressed concerns about the lack of access to competent legal representation upon arrest and the issue of prolonged pre-trial detention.
The SC highlighted that the proposed amendments to the rules aim to address these concerns by explicitly permitting the dismissal of cases where the right to a speedy trial has been violated. Other proposed changes include alternative detention methods, conditional arraignment, custodial hearings, and the application of the writ of habeas corpus in criminal cases.
These stakeholder consultations were conducted alongside the SC’s Regional Consultations on the Proposed Amendments to the Rules of Criminal Procedure, which took place from August to November 2024. These regional events involved judges, legal practitioners, and academics and were held in locations such as Lipa City, General Santos City, Zamboanga City, Bacolod City, Tagbilaran City, and Manila.