Palace of Justice execs move to iron out kinks in security scheme

A display of the building's floor plan and a list of cases heard for the day are what officials hope to iron out the newly implemented security scheme at the Palace of Justice.

In an interview with The Freeman, Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Simeon Dumdum Jr. said an enlarged floor plan of the building would soon be displayed at the lobby of the Palace of Justice to help litigants and visitors determine which floor their appointments would take place.

The seemingly complex floor layout of the Palace of Justice usually makes first-time visitors end up being lost inside the building. A display of the floor layout is expected to provide visitors a clearer picture of each floor's layout and subsequently make it easier for them to find their way to a particular courtroom or office.

Dumdum said he had issued a memorandum for all branches of the RTC and the Municipal Trial Court to furnish the security personnel a list of their hearings for the day. Aside from aiding security personnel, the list would also help ensure that visits at the Palace of Justice are indeed legitimate.

The security scheme was implemented last week after Dumdum ordered a review of the building's security, following the burglary at the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor's Office and the attempted theft at RTC Branch 15 last December.

Under the new scheme, litigants and visitors need to present a valid identification card at the main entrance to be exchanged with a color-coded ID to be used within the building's premises.

The color-coded ID identifies which floor of the building a visitor goes. Security personnel roam the building to ensure that the scheme is being strictly followed. A yellow ID is for the ground floor, green ID for the second floor, red ID for the third floor, and blue ID for the fourth floor.

However, the implementation of the scheme last Monday had irked visitors and litigants because the validation of the personal ID took sometime at the main entrance, thus, a long queue lasted throughout the day. Those who failed to bring personal ID had to either get one or wasn't able to enter the building.

Late last week, human traffic in the main entrance loosened after two more doors were opened to serve as entrance and exit.

Dumdum hopes that putting up a prototype of the floor layout and an updated list of hearings for the day would iron out the initial hitches of the new scheme. The implementation that started Monday last week has left visitors and litigants in dismay Building officials will meet tomorrow to make a thorough assessment of the implementation to determine which areas need to be fine-tuned.

Aside from the 12 regular security guards stationed at the Palace of Justice, 16 members of the Judicial Security Service, a group of volunteer court personnel, are manning the implementation of the security effort.

The building's ground floor houses the prosecutors' offices and administrative offices while the second and third floors house the Regional Trial Courts and the court library. The fourth floor, meanwhile, houses the Municipal Trial Court in Cities and the Parole and Probation Office. - Joeberth M. Ocao