New Valenzuela RTC building has Wifi-ready courtrooms, CCTVs

The new three-storey Valenzuela City Regional Trial Courts, which boasts of Wifi-ready courtrooms and a digitalization room, was inaugurated on Monday.

The inauguration ceremony of the P81-million, 3,009-sqm. Bulwagang Pangkatarungan RTC building was led by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian.

Sereno lauded the new city's hall of justice building as it is among the first in the country to integrate information communication and technology in their offices.

"I am confident that Valenzuela will not only be famous as gateway to the north, it will also be known as the gateway to justice," Sereno said during her speech.

Aside from being Wifi-ready, the building has a family court where closed-circuit television cameras were installed so that victims in sexual aggression cases don't need to be in the same room with the suspects.

Also, it has a digitalization room where electronic court records could be stored.

In an interview, Gatchalian said the modern amenities in the new hall of justice is necessary for a speedy, efficient, and transparent justice system.

"The local government's tech expertise come in handy. We can work hand in hand to make things faster," Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian also pledged to support the implementation of e-litigation system locally. It is an electronic case management system that organizes cases digitally.

He said the city government shall complement the software of the judiciary with necessary hardware to uphold transparency in local court decisions.

Meanwhile, Gatchalian said that the local government is eyeing more development in the courts like a mobile application where announcement of court schedules can be posted.