Flood delays court cases in Malabon, Navotas

MANILA, Philippines - People seeking justice in Malabon and Navotas may have to wait for several months more as floodwaters brought by tropical storm “Ondoy” inundated the courtrooms and offices of judges and prosecutors in Malabon City.

The flood, which reached 12 feet, has subsided but not before destroying most court documents, supplies and sensitive equipment, including computers and stenographic machines, local justice officials said yesterday.

“It would probably take months before we can go back to normal,” Malabon-Navotas Chief Prosecutor Jorge Catalan Jr. said.

The justice complex, which includes the newly built City Prosecutors Office, is located in below-sea-level Barangay Catmon in perennially-flooded Malabon and houses the courts and prosecutors’ offices.

Branch 170 under Judge Hector Almeyda is trying the high profile Ruby Rose Barrameda-Jimenez murder case, among other cases.

The resumption of the hearing of prime suspect Manuel Jimenez Jr.’s petition for bail was supposed to be heard yesterday but had to be reset to Oct. 9 because of the mess the flood left in Almeyda’s courtroom.

A petition for transfer of place of trial, with Almeyda still presiding, was filed by Barrameda family lawyer Rowena Guanzon before the Supreme Court three weeks ago, precisely “because of the chronic flooding in the justice complex, among other reasons,” remains pending.

The STAR gathered that Malabon-Navotas Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Emmanuel Laurea has appealed to Chief Justice Reynato Puno to have all court proceedings in his district temporarily suspended, at least for a month, as a result of the flooding.

“For the next months or so, we have asked that the courts may not accept new cases (for trial), (and the prosecutors office) preliminary investigations,” said Catalan. He said inquest proceedings may continue, however.

The chief persecutor said most of the time they are asking “unfortunately will be used up not for judicial work but for ordinary household cleaning.”

“And we cannot afford another one (typhoon and flooding) so soon,” said Catalan as super typhoon “Pepeng,” with its near-200 kilometer per hour winds, threatened to overwhelm the metropolis and most of Luzon with more rains.

The beleaguered court judges and prosecutors are appealing to generous donors to replace destroyed equipment like computers, court machines and office supplies.

“All tables, cabinets. All equipment damaged. Including computers. The records are stuck together,” said Catalan, who found his personal refrigerator lying upside down, blocking the office door.

Tons of mud-caked and soggy documents lay on the floor of various offices and courtrooms of the lone judicial district of Malabon-Navotas in Barangay Catmon as employees painstakingly rummaged through the muck for whatever they could save.

Court judges temporarily shed their judicial robes as they joined their assistants on hands and knees, sorting through debris.

“Everybody is cleaning up. There are no preliminary hearings nor trials. The water was chest-deep in my room,” said the 6’1”-tall Catalan.

Court officials also took the opportunity to appeal to the city governments of Malabon and Navotas and the Department of Public Works and Highways to build a “working” drainage system.

“There is no drainage in front of the justice hall,” the officials told The STAR.

They added that “if this (efficient drainage system) is not possible, maybe the national government should allocate funding for our transfer to higher ground.”

With or without the rains or floods, water level in the justice hall grounds still rises from seven to 10 inches due to the high tide coming from Manila Bay.