There was a time when there was not much to be desired in terms of the logistical requirements of a working and efficient system of settling disputes and rendering justice in Cebu.
I was sworn into the bar during that era.The regional trial courts, then known as the courts of first instance, as well as the city courts were easily accessible even for us who did not own a car. For those who did, parking space was ample.
The CFI branches were housed in parts of the ground and second floors of the Capitol building, in the annex building at the back and in quonset huts, all inside the Capitol compound. Home to the city courts were the old City Hall and the nearby Yutivo and Gotiaoco buildings.
A Palace of Justice would later be built where the annex building used to be, mainly through the efforts of then Justice Secretary Franklin Drilon. All the courts were relocated to the new edifice as were the fiscals’ and public attorneys’ offices.
Needless to say, gathering most of the government agencies involved in the dispensation of justice under one roof was practical.
Then the Bohol earthquake happened, causing extensive damage to a number of buildings in metropolitan Cebu. The Palace of Justice was declared unsafe. The courts were evacuated to, and held trial in, hastily assembled tents.
Could the Palace have been rehabilitated through retrofitting? We never got the answer. Meanwhile, the landowner—the provincial government—wasted no time in taking over the property.
So it was that the courts moved out again, this time to Qimonda in the North Reclamation Area. The building was supposed to be safe but the Bogo earthquake unmasked the truth. It sustained cracks. The courts had to be evacuated. Again.
Meanwhile, the Palace of Justice, unretrofitted, unrehabilitated and unoccupied, stood undamaged.
I’ve been to Eastland, the courts’ new home, only thrice since I am semi-retired and handle only a few select cases. Each time, I left with a heavy heart. From the outside, the building looked regal but inside, I did not find a palace, just a cramped and overcrowded home to overworked people.
Lady Justice’s odyssey has to end. Gov. Pam Baricuatro, will you be kinder and make the Palace of Justice available again?