Solon touts results of 'e-Dalaw' program
Published May 24, 2020 02:58 pm
By Ellson Quismorio
The "e-Dalaw” initiative has begun to bear fruit as more than 4,000 persons deprived of liberty (PDL) were released in just a week's time mainly through videoconferencing, Rizal 2nd District Rep. Fidel Nograles said.
Rizal representative Fidel Nograles
(Fidel Nograles / FACEBOOK / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Citing reports from the Supreme Court (SC), Nograles said 4,683 PDLs were released from April 30 to May 8 through virtual hearings. Some 9,731 inmates have so far been released over a period of six weeks through various circulars that the SC had issued to address jail congestion amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities earlier acknowledged the threat that the new coronavirus posed to jampacked local prison. The Harvard-trained lawyer and legal aid advocate is the founder of Lakbay Hustisya Foundation, a legal aid trust fund organized to support legal aid activities around the Philippines. Lakbay Hustisya works in partnership with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for the “e-Dalaw” initiative, where PDLs are able to consult with lawyers despite the suspension of visitation rights in jails. “Pipilitin po natin na madagdagan pa ang mga computer sa mga kulungan natin sa buong bansa para na rin magkaroon ng access ang mga PDL natin sa tulong legal. (We will strive to donate more computers to prisons all over the country so that PDLs will gain access to legal assistance),” Nograles said. The group had distributed computers to jails in various areas in Visayas and Mindanao. Nograles also lauded the SC for adapting to the circumstances forced by the pandemic. Earlier this month, the High Court, through the Office of the Court Administrator, issued OCA Circular No. 93-2020, which allowed the conduct of virtual hearings of urgent matter by courts in criminal cases involving PDLs. This, as various agencies observed Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and General Community Quarantine (GCQ) rules in connection with the public health crisis. “Everyone is forced to adapt to the extraordinary circumstances we face today, and I’m glad that the SC is not allowing itself nor our courts to be left behind. We need all the tools we can use in facing this uncertain future, and allowing virtual hearings is certainly a welcome move,” said the neophyte lawmaker. Meanwhile, Nograles also agreed with SC Associate Justice Marvic Leonen’s statement that prison congestion is a responsibility shared by the whole of government and not solely by the judiciary. Leonen, in an online media forum on Sunday, said the issue of congestion in the country’s prisons and detention centers is also the responsibility of local governments, the executive branch, and the legislature. He added that the SC needs to hear all parties before coming out with a solution that does not violate constitutional rights. “It is true that this is an issue best addressed by the whole government. And given the urgency, I hope that all parties concerned will be able to convene at the soonest possible time. This is an issue that goes beyond the pandemic; it is rooted at humanitarian considerations and the rehabilitative aspect of our prison systems,” Nograles said.
Rizal representative Fidel Nograles(Fidel Nograles / FACEBOOK / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Citing reports from the Supreme Court (SC), Nograles said 4,683 PDLs were released from April 30 to May 8 through virtual hearings. Some 9,731 inmates have so far been released over a period of six weeks through various circulars that the SC had issued to address jail congestion amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities earlier acknowledged the threat that the new coronavirus posed to jampacked local prison. The Harvard-trained lawyer and legal aid advocate is the founder of Lakbay Hustisya Foundation, a legal aid trust fund organized to support legal aid activities around the Philippines. Lakbay Hustisya works in partnership with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for the “e-Dalaw” initiative, where PDLs are able to consult with lawyers despite the suspension of visitation rights in jails. “Pipilitin po natin na madagdagan pa ang mga computer sa mga kulungan natin sa buong bansa para na rin magkaroon ng access ang mga PDL natin sa tulong legal. (We will strive to donate more computers to prisons all over the country so that PDLs will gain access to legal assistance),” Nograles said. The group had distributed computers to jails in various areas in Visayas and Mindanao. Nograles also lauded the SC for adapting to the circumstances forced by the pandemic. Earlier this month, the High Court, through the Office of the Court Administrator, issued OCA Circular No. 93-2020, which allowed the conduct of virtual hearings of urgent matter by courts in criminal cases involving PDLs. This, as various agencies observed Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and General Community Quarantine (GCQ) rules in connection with the public health crisis. “Everyone is forced to adapt to the extraordinary circumstances we face today, and I’m glad that the SC is not allowing itself nor our courts to be left behind. We need all the tools we can use in facing this uncertain future, and allowing virtual hearings is certainly a welcome move,” said the neophyte lawmaker. Meanwhile, Nograles also agreed with SC Associate Justice Marvic Leonen’s statement that prison congestion is a responsibility shared by the whole of government and not solely by the judiciary. Leonen, in an online media forum on Sunday, said the issue of congestion in the country’s prisons and detention centers is also the responsibility of local governments, the executive branch, and the legislature. He added that the SC needs to hear all parties before coming out with a solution that does not violate constitutional rights. “It is true that this is an issue best addressed by the whole government. And given the urgency, I hope that all parties concerned will be able to convene at the soonest possible time. This is an issue that goes beyond the pandemic; it is rooted at humanitarian considerations and the rehabilitative aspect of our prison systems,” Nograles said.