WITH an investment of P81 million, the pioneering information and communications technology office-integrated halls of justice in the country has opened in Valenzuela, and now serves as a new home for the city’s nine regional trial courts (RTCs).
Spanning at around 3,009 square meters, the Valenzuela Bulwagang Pangkatarungan Regional Trial Court Building is designed to become “the landmark of fast and efficient judicial system in the city and to serve as an inspiration for Valenzuelaños to live lives that are just and fair to all,” according to its marker.
This fully integrated three-story Mediterranean-inspired building was inaugurated by Mayor Rexlon T. Gatchalian, together with Chief Justice Maria Lourdes A. Sereno, Valenzuela City-RTC Executive Judge Maria Nena J. Santos, Vice Executive Judge Emma C. Matammu and City Administrator Alan Roullo Yap.
The new structure boasts of seven new courtrooms and other mandatory amenities of a modern hall of justice.
Wi-fi ready, it has a family court, wherein closed-circuit televisions or will be employed in hearing sexual-aggression cases and in documenting testimonies of victims to avoid face-to-face confrontation with the suspect.
It is also among the first buildings to have a digitization room, where court records shall be maintained electronically to better deliver justice and address the delay in the resolution of cases.
During the tour with Sereno in the “All In” RTC building, Gatchalian pledged to support the implementation of e-Litigation—an electronic case-management system that organizes cases digitally, from filing of complaints to resolution and enforcement.
The local government will compliment the software of the judiciary with necessary hardware to uphold transparency in local court decisions.
Valenzuela City has long been supporting the local judiciary, which the mayor said is still among the most trusted institutions nationwide. In 2010 the old city hall building was renovated into a better home for the local RTC and the Metropolitan Trial Courts.
“We often hear words, ‘I will sue you’, ‘See you in court’. This is a sign that the people feel confident that they have refuge when they feel injustice,” the local chief executive said in Filipino during the inauguration as part of Valenzuela City’s 394th Foundation Day Anniversary celebration.
Sereno called the structure “the most dignified” of all halls of justice she has visited so far.
“I am confident that Valenzuela will not only be famous as the gateway to the north, it will also be known as the gateway to justice,” she added.
In 2016, the SC opened new RTC branches in the city, prompting the urgent need for new courtrooms and offices locally.
Santos immediately went to the local government unit for assistance to which the city mayor obliged at once.
The city of Valenzuela spent P64 million to augment with the P17 million budget from the SC.
After the inspection meeting with Sereno, among the planned add-ons, which the LGU will provide in the future is the development of a mobile app for real time announcement of court schedules, as well, as a LED screen where judge’s decision will be flashed instantaneously.
The old Valenzuela City Hall of Justice shall be renovated and expected to be ready by the first quarter of next year to house the MTC branches, the fiscal’s office, the parole and probation office, the public attorney’s office and the mediation office.