The Supreme Court said it will designate special courts to exclusively hear and decide corruption-related cases involving infrastructure projects once cases are filed.
The SC en banc directed the Office of the Court Administrator to monitor the filing of cases involving corruption in infrastructure projects before the regional trial courts.
“Once such cases are filed, the SC will designate special courts to exclusively hear and decide corruption-related cases arising from infrastructure projects,” the High Court said.
Earlier, Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno urged the Supreme Court to designate special courts and set time limits for flood control corruption cases.
He said no corruption trial should last longer than three years maximum and no appeal should take longer than two years, noting that prolonged trials tend to favor the accused.
“Corruption cases deserve the highest priority because the victims of corruption are all of us—the people—ordinary citizens whose taxes should go to improving their quality of life, not fattening the wallets of those entrusted with government authority,” Diokno said.
“When the trial of a corruption case takes a decade or more, witnesses are vulnerable: their memories can fade, they can easily lose interest in testifying because it seems there is no progress in the case; and they may no longer be available to testify because they have to work abroad, get sick, or die of natural or unnatural causes,” he added.
On Tuesday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appealed for patience from the public amid mounting criticism over the perceived slow progress in the administration’s anti-corruption campaign, saying that rushing cases could jeopardize the country’s pursuit of justice.
“We have to remind people that we have now moved from the political arena to the legal one,” the President said.
“Do you want to get it done quickly or do you want to get it done right? That’s the choice that we have,” he added.
The President said he understands the public’s frustration, but cautioned against pressure to make arrests or file charges without sufficient evidence. He warned that weak cases could lead to acquittals on technical grounds, allowing corrupt officials to walk free.
“Can you imagine these people who have stolen billions from the government and from the people getting away because the evidence was not properly handled? That would be a much worse result,” he said.
