VACC asks SC to put up special courts for 'collateral victims' of anti-drug war
MANILA, Jan. 4 (PNA) -- The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to assign special courts which will handle the cases of 'collateral victims' of the government's intensified campaign against illegal drugs.
In a one-page letter addressed to Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, VACC chairman Dante Jimenez said the move is necessary as the intensified anti-drug war has resulted to the killings of innocent victims of cross-fires, mistaken identity and the like during the conduct of police operations.
“Accordingly, an increased number of innocent people are expected to fall victims as ‘collateral damage’ in the war against illegal drugs considering the magnitude of illegal drug activities on the country. In view of these unfortunate incidences, our organization is requesting the Honorable Chief Justice to designate additional special courts and monitor closely on the cases of said collateral victims in accordance with the prescribed period of court hearings,†Jimenez said in their letter dated January 3.
The VACC chairman also informed Sereno that they also wrote letter to President Rodrigo Duterte to create special investigation teams, prosecutors and commissioned lawyers to fast track on the investigation and prosecution of said cases of collateral victims of war against illegal drugs.
Last July, the SC designated 240 additional trial courts to handle drug-related cases following the steady rise of such cases.
SC data showed that there are 128,368 pending drug-related cases being heard nationwide by 715 regional trial courts designated to hear drugs-related cases but Sereno said the number would be insufficient to handle the influx of such cases.
Of the 715 RTCs, 65 have been designated, pursuant to RA 9165, as special anti-drugs courts exclusively trying violations of the said law, while 529 RTCs in single-sala and multi-sala stations have been designated to also hear and try drugs cases in addition to their regular case loads.
The SC said the 121 trial courts designated as family courts also handle drug-related cases where they involve minors.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said a total of 2,169 people have been killed in “Operation Double Barrel,†the government’s anti-illegal drug operations, in the past six months.
The PNP also said 43,196 were arrested in 40,420 antidrug operations from July 1, 2016 until 6 p.m. of January 1 this year.
As of Dec. 15, there were 2, 928 cases of ‘deaths under investigation’ or DUI, or the murders and homicides that may or may not be related to the anti-drug war and whose motives and circumstances are still being looked into by investigators. (PNA)
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=84077.0
