MANILA, Philippines — Amid allegations of inefficiency, lack of manpower, and corruption in the ranks of the judiciary, Department of Justice (DoJ) Secretary Leila de Lima said that the country is not ready to adopt a “juror system” patterned over the court proceedings in the United States in a bid to hasten and improve the delivery of justice to both the victim and the accused in the Philippines. In an interview, De Lima admitted that there are flaws in the country’s judicial system that result in severe backlog of criminal cases, mistrials and long delays in hearing process.
Nonetheless, De Lima, who served as Human Rights chairperson during the term of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, emphasized that the Philippine judicial system is not yet mature enough to implement a juror-type system in the processing of criminal cases.
“I think it is not good, it is not practical and it is not going to be feasible given our culture,” she said.
“Iba ang culture natin (We have a different culture). You know, we are so close as a clan,” the DoJ chief added.
Aside from these issues, the tradition of patronage emanating from religious such as kumpadre and kumadre when an individual act as sponsor to a newly born baby, wedding, and even confirmation could influence the verdict of members of a jury in a criminal case.
“We are so friendly people. Ang dami natin kamag-anak, ang dami nating mga barkada, kumpare at kumare (we have many relatives, we have many peers),” she claimed.
Either on a state or federal trial in the United States, the accused can appeal for the participation of a jury panel in the case he or she is facing. Or the accused may seek the participation of a panel of judges to fairly deliberate his case.
Composed of ordinary citizens who are selected in random by court authorities, a jury panel is usually composed of a group in odd number to be able to obtain a majority decision. But there are also rare cases in the US that the judge overrules the verdict of a jury.
Aris Ilagan, Manila Bulletin
