Pilot testing of the Videoconferencing Bus in North Cotabato in line with the Court’s SPJI
December 6, 2023
Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, assisted by Deputy Court Administrator for Mindanao Leo T. Madrazo, leads the Court in the proof of concept of the Videoconferencing Bus during its pilot run in Barangay Basak, Magpet, North Cotabato on November 30, 2023. (Courtesy of the Public Information Office)
Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier led the Supreme Court at the proof of concept or pilot testing of the Videoconferencing Bus in Barangay Basak, Magpet, Province of Cotabato, which is 30 kilometers north of the nearest court in Kidapawan City, on November 30, 2023.
The Videoconferencing Bus, which comes fully equipped with videoconferencing devices and wireless connectivity, as well as technicians to ensure a seamless proceeding, will provide internet access to far-flung and remote areas to accommodate witnesses via videoconferencing. The proof of concept also ensured that the trial court hosting the videoconference hearing will have fast internet connectivity for efficient virtual court proceedings. It is a concept borne out of the necessity to bring the courts closer to the underserved and extend the benefits of videoconferencing as a mode to facilitate the taking of testimony of witnesses in distant areas, to those who have no access to the reliable internet connection, and to those unable to leave their homes to travel to the courts, thus serving justice real time.
The Videoconferencing Bus is projected to be a retooling or reconfiguration of the mobile court bus under the Court’s Enhance Justice on Wheels (EJOW) Program. The EJOW bus featured mobile court hearings, court-annexed mediation, and the provision of free legal, medical, and dental aid to inmates nationwide.
The reconfiguration of the EJOW vehicle was first disclosed by Senior Associate Justice Marvic M. V. F. Leonen at the National Convention and Seminar and Election of Officers of the First Level Clerks of Court Association of the Philippines, Inc. on November 22, 2023. He said that there will be pilot testing of the reconfigured EJOW vehicle which will go to farthest flung places.
At the pilot run, Justice Lazaro-Javier noted that having the witnesses testify in the comfort of the bus allows them to be more at ease and more forthright with their testimonies. Executive Judge Arvin Sadiri Balagot of the Kidapawan City Regional Trial Court presided over the virtual hearing.
The pilot testing of the Videoconferencing Bus is a key activity under the Court’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 or the SPJI, which has targeted outcomes of Efficiency, Innovation, and Access.
Speaking for Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, Justice Lazaro-Javier expressed the Court’s gratitude to its partners in the provincial government, especially to Governor Emmylou J. Taliño-Mendoza and to the many technical working groups involved in the project.
The Chief Justice expressed optimism that the objective of providing the speedy administration of justice in far-flung areas becomes a continuing pursuit, through the SPJI, of an “efficient, innovative, and accessible justice system that delivers in real time, wherever they may be — the justice that our people deserve.”
With the success of the proof of concept, it is anticipated that the Videoconferencing Bus will become an essential instrument in the Judiciary’s drive to unclog its court dockets and decongest detention facilities. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier meets with Judges and Prosecutors of North Cotabato for a dialogue on their concerns. (Courtesy of the Public Information Office)
Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier delivers Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo’s message of an efficient, innovative, and accessible justice system at the pilot run of the Videoconferencing Bus in Barangay Basak, Magpet, Cotabato on November 30, 2023. Looking on are (seated, from left) Atty. John C. Delunio, Atty. Maria Alma Corazon H. Puncia, Deputy Court Administrator for Mindanao Leo T. Madrazo, Governor Emmylou J. Taliño-Mendoza, Judge Arvin Sadiri Balagot, Judge Lily Lydia A. Laquindanum, Mr. Jessie Francisco Enid, Jr. (Courtesy of the Public Information Office)
Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier and Deputy Court Administrator for Mindanao Leo T. Madrazo pose for posterity with the judges of North Cotabato. (Courtesy of the Public Information Office)