Because if the Rule of Just Law is to mean anything, it must be more than a sword to protect the mighty. It must also be a lifeline for the poor who have drowned in the swamp of procedural delay.

Let no one say that the poor do not deserve justice. They deserve it most of all.

The slow trial process is not just inefficiency—it is cruelty by delay. Each postponement, each rescheduled hearing, each absent witness is a small knife twisted slowly into the gut of the accused. Judges know this. Prosecutors know this. Jail officers see this every day.

We need a law. We need legislation that recognizes that wrongful imprisonment—whether due to mistaken conviction or protracted trial detention—is a wound that deserves healing. That recognizes no one should be punished for being poor. That acknowledges the State has a moral debt to those it imprisons without cause.

In Philippine jails today, thousands of detainees are being punished without a verdict. They wait in overcrowded cells—some for two,...

The issue of prolonged pretrial detention in the Philippines is a troubling reflection of the dysfunction within the nation’s criminal justice system

These unnecessary documents should be reviewed and be done away with. It simply hinders access to justice.

This paper provides an understanding of the current state of preventive detention in the Philippines. Currently, the Philippines has one...

The lack of compensation for pretrial detainees who are eventually acquitted underscores the need for legislative reform

By aligning prison policies w/ international standards the Philippines can significantly improve the welfare & human rights of its PDLs.

The Supreme Court restored the right of all PDL to avail of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA)

Despite the placement of the legal profession in the highest pedestals of society, this problem has become increasingly intractable.

A continuing analysis of this data set should be made. The technical people in the Supreme Court should continue to make these analyses.

A major cause of delay in court case disposition is the postponement of hearings. This eventually leads to extreme jail congestion.

We have the best lawyers in the world...let us see if they can provide good solutions to this simple problem

May the Supreme Court, in the benevolent exercise of its mighty judicial power...

Filipino socio-cultural realities mediate how punishments are perceived and experienced differently by rich and poor Filipinos

Instead of a piece-meal hearing, judges, prosecutors, and defense lawyers should adopt the concept of SURE TRIALS

PDLs fall prey to the pyansador, promising to bail them out. After getting the money, the pyansadors run, never to be seen again

A key point missing in the reintegration process is the protocol on day of release.