The Wheels of Justice

It is said that the wheels of justice turn slowly, but there are definitely places where they turn more slowly than in others.  And this courtroom in the province of Cavite is one of them.   Two residents of Bahay Pag-asa Youth Center had a hearing scheduled for today.  We are looking for a resolution to their cases so that they can move on, focusing on their education and training for employment.  When we arrived, there were quite a few people including detainees from the jail (in identifying yellow shirts and handcuffs) and lawyers.  Our residents were wearing dress shoes, black pants and student-style collared shirts.  This is appropriate since they are currently taking courses, one at the high school level and one in college.  The court docket was posted on a bulletin board (below) and a quick look-through indicated that the court planned to deal with 63 cases before lunch.

It become clear very soon, however, that not much was going to happen.  Apparently the prosecuting attorney failed to arrive and so the judge did not enter the courtroom.  In fact, the only official in the courtroom was a woman whose duty it was to reschedule everyone's hearings.  Our boys' hearings were rescheduled for late October.  Looking around the courtroom, one can see pile after pile of documents tied up in bundles (see photo below).  It's not a very encouraging sight if you're looking for timely action.  This is the biggest problem of the current legal apparatus here - multiple delays.

 In one case here, a resident of Bahay Pag-asa was charged with gambling ("throwing coins" as they say).  His case involved delay after delay after delay.  It was three years before the court could render a verdict and his sentence was 6 months (time already served during his one year in jail).  Fortunately this boy spent most of the three years of judicial inaction at Bahay Pag-asa where he progressed steadily in his education - an education he was not receiving on the outside.  Imagine, however, the plight of young adults who find themselves waiting these delays out in a municipal jail.  Three years of malnutrition, violence, pressure from gangs, and communicable diseases with little treatment will take their toll.  That is why this work is so important - as long as judicial delays are the norm, there must be a healthy and educative place for young people to continue to grow and develop as citizens, students and moral beings.  The jail is no place for that.

While our upstairs courtroom was dead in the water, the downstairs courtroom seemed very busy with a hearing that must have been a bit more high-profile.  The usual BJMP (Bureau of Jail Management and Penology) security was replaced with this fairly high-powered group - and there were quite a few more armed officers that you cannot see in the photo.  As we departed, I offered to buy snacks at Jollibee for our group so that our trip was not entirely wasted - and that seemed to keep our residents cheerful.