ANGELES CITY -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has stressed the role of barangays in the speedy and fair administration of justice.
“Our goal is to establish 14 justice zones nationwide by 2022. We have three more years to do so. But I believe we must take this initiative a step further. We must have a program that would cascade these efforts down to the barangay level because it is not only in cities where people experience injustice. In fact, the grassroot is where injustices thrive. So, it is critical that we give importance to the barangay’s ability to resolve cases of conflict and oppression that are within their power to tackle. We must ensure that even barangay residents will experience speedy and fair administration of justice on the issues they are concerned with,” DILG Secretary and Justice Sector Coordinating Council principal Eduardo Año said during the launching of the country’s fourth Justice Zone located in Angeles City.
Being a member of the JSCC, DILG believes in the power of justice to prevent the peaceful and the innocent from becoming outlaws. In this sense, the judiciary becomes the partner of law enforcement in the government’s aim to finally put a stop on the culture of violence and crime in the country.
“Being the supervisory body tasked to oversee the activities of the local government units, DILG will provide assistance to our local government units in harmonizing interagency efforts at the local level. We will fortify our efforts to implement the programs of the Department of Justice across the country. We thus expect the local chief executives to lead their own localities in gaining the people’s trust in the system. I also encourage the Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Council) and Sangguniang Bayan (Provincial Board) to craft ordinances which will further strengthen the Justice Zone Program. Let us promote Judicial sector coordination and policy-making by advocating for reforms that decongest and automate the process,” Año furthered.
Justice Zoneis an area where local justice sector agencies such as the police, prosecutors, judges, public attorneys, and managers of detentions facilities identify problems and arrive at common solutions to address them.
Angeles City is the fourth Justice Zone supported by the European Union under its Governance in Justice program. Others are located in the cities of Quezon, Cebu and Davao. (PIA)