SC brings remote court to Tawi-Tawi

In areas that the buses cannot access, alternative forms of transportation would be used to bring legal services through technology.

The Supreme Court has taken another step to ensure that the wheels of justice are turning even in the remote and far-flung areas of the country.

This was after the SC brought to Tawi-Tawi its Remote Hearing and Equal Access to Law and Justice program to provide legal services and dispose of cases through mobile courts.

The kick-off of REAL Justice in Tawi-Tawi was led by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, marking the first time that the country’s top magistrate visited the area.

Joining Gesmundo were Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, Associate Justices Jhosep Lopez, Japar Dimaampao, Jose Midas Marquez, Antonio Kho Jr., and Court Administrator Raul Villanueva.

Leonen said that under the REAL Justice program, retrofitted buses would be deployed in areas in the territorial jurisdiction of judges that are difficult to reach. They would also be used to process bail during instances when courts are not in session.

In areas that the buses cannot access, alternative forms of transportation would be used to bring legal services through technology.

Gesmundo thanked local government leaders and stakeholders who made the program possible, saying justice must be accessible to all in real-time, regardless of geography.

The program took off from the Supreme Court’s Justice on Wheels program which started in 2004, under which retrofitted buses were used as mobile courts to de-clog court dockets.

In 2008, it was re-launched as the “Enhanced Justice on Wheels” program, providing mediation services and legal aid clinics for underprivileged litigants in remote areas, and facilitating the release of persons deprived of liberty.