Thursday, July 19, 2007 More convictions can help stop extrajudicial slays: senator
SENATOR Francis Pangilinan has pushed for the increase of the conviction rate in courts to stop the spate of extrajudicial killings.
Pangilinan, who was the Senate's representative in the Supreme Court (SC)-organized Summit on Extrajudicial Killings, stressed the need to ensure that the respect for the rule of law in the country remains steadfast.
"Firstly, we must look at how we can increase the conviction rates of our courts. Only when we punish more and punish swiftly will there be genuine respect for the rule of law and obedience to the same. Today the battle cry of would be criminals and syndicates is 'we can get away with it anyway' and hence are emboldened to transgress the law at will. We must raise for example the conviction rates in the Ombusdman and Sandiganbayan from some 20 percent where it is today to 70 to 80 percent (Hong Kong level) in the next five to seven years. When only 2 or 3 out of ten cases end up in conviction then many are able to go scot-free while only a few are punished. We must punish more and convict swiftly," he said.
"Apart from punishing more, we likewise need to look at resolving cases more swiftly. Data from the Office of the Court Administrator reveals that the average lifespan of a case pending in our courts is six years. The period is too long. We must find ways to reduce the length of time that a case is filed and resolved. We must find a way to reduce the average case life from six years to say two to three years in the next five to seven years," Pangilinan added.
He also said the lack of judges should be addressed and vacancies in the courts be reduced to single digit levels so as to ensure a swifter disposition of cases throughout the country.
Participants of the summit earlier proposed the creation of a new law that will criminalize violence against so-called political dissenters, particularly media men and activists as they also condemned the extrajudicial killings.
They also supported with the proposal of Armed Forces Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr. for a three-year bilateral peace talks with the communist movement saying the failure of the two parties to reach a truce was the root cause of the killings. (CPB/Sunnex)
