Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian is joined by Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno, Valenzuela City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Maria Nena Santos, Vice Executive Judge Emma Matammu, and City Administrator Alan Roullo Yap during the inauguration of the newly constructed 3,009-square meter structure which boasts of seven new courtrooms and other mandatory amenities of a modern hall of justice.
According to the Valenzuela government, the new edifice is one of the first Information Communication Technology Office-integrated halls of justice in the country. Aside from being WiFi ready, it has a family court where CCTVs will be mounted in hearing sexual aggression cases and in documenting testimonies of victims to avoid face-to-face confrontation with the suspect. It is also one of the firsts 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.
Gatchalian pledged to support the implementation of e-Litigation system locally. It is an electronic case management system that organizes cases digitally, from filing of complaints to resolution and enforcement. The local government shall compliment the software of the judiciary with necessary hardware to uphold transparency in local court decisions.
The new Valenzuela Bulwagang Pangkatarungan Regional Trial Court Building will become the landmark of fast and efficient judicial system in the city of Valenzuela, and would serve as an inspiration for Valenzuelanos in striving to live lives that are just and fair to all, its marker says.
According to Sereno, the structure is “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 said.
In 2016, the Supreme Court opened new RTC branches in the city, prompting the urgent need for new courtrooms and offices locally. EJ Santos immediately went to the LGU for assistance to which the city mayor obliged at once. The City spent P64 million to augment the P17-million budget from the Supreme Court.
The old Valenzuela City Hall of Justice will be renovated and expected to be ready by the first quarter of 2018 to house the Metropolitan Trial Court branches, the Fiscal’s Office, the Parole and Probation Office, the Public Attorney’s Office and the Mediation Office.