The Supreme Court has been notified by the Manila City government to expedite its construction project for the city's Hall of Justice.
During the gathering of lawyers before the weekend, Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin revealed that Mayor Joseph Estrada has already demanded for all courts to leave city hall.
"There is already a demand by the Mayor of Manila for all courts to leave city hall of Manila," Bersamin said.
"If you had gone to the city hall of Manila, you will see the congestion in human as well as in document traffic. Napaka-puno," Bersamin said.
"They [City of Manila through Mayor Joseph Estrada] have asked formally the Supreme Court to speed up the construction project [of the Hall of Justice]," he said.
Bersamin said the high court is already in the process of procurement and the construction of the hall of justice at the old GSIS.
In 2015, then chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno promised the construction of the Manila's Hall of Justice will start in 2017 and be completed by 2019.
Currently, Manila City trial courts are dispersed in the Manila City Hall, in the old building of the Office of the Ombudsman, the old and condemned structure of the GSIS, former Masagana mall in UN Avenue and in Binondo.
The proposed Manila City Hall of justice would showcase a model courthouse equipped with modern communication facilities. LCD screens would be put outside each courtroom so that lawyers, litigants and the rest of the public can view court activities and announcements.
Once completed, it will house 120 Regional and Metropolitan Trial Courts.
