Manila goes hi-tech with judiciary Internet access

MANILA, Philippines - The Manila courts will now go high-tech with last Wednesday’s launching of the “Judiciary Internet Access Project,” aimed to provide free and unlimited Internet access to all the Manila courts being housed at the five-story Manila city hall building on Taft Avenue, Manila.

Eloisa Behan, officer-in-charge of the Manila City Hall-Electronic Data Processing System (EDPS) said this is the initial phase of the move to install Internet connection to all the offices at the city hall.

The first phase covers the 56 regional trial courts and four metropolitan trial courts located at the third, fourth and fifth floors of the city hall building. The second phase will involve the installation of Internet connections at the remaining metropolitan trial courts and municipal trial courts found at the nearby old Ombudsman building across SM Manila. In the third and fourth phases, Internet connections will be made at the remaining offices of the city hall which still do not have the Internet.

She said the city government spent P550,000 to make the RTCs and MTCs Internet connected.

In his speech, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim noted that the judiciary Internet access will help the judges in accessing the Supreme Court e-library and other local and international e-Law libraries for their legal research.

He said the Internet access will greatly help judges in drafting their decisions and orders which will eventually help in the speedy disposition of cases.

Because of this, Lim cited the need for the city of Manila to tap all possible resour­ces such as information technology to assist the judiciary and the prosecution service in their pursuit to dispense justice with dispatch.

“That is the reason why we have launched the project as we are aware of the struggles and limitations of our judges and prosecutors and we are sensitive to their needs as after all, they service the public and the city of Manila,” stated Lim in his speech.

He expressed hope that Manila will be a model for other mayors in the country to emulate and also sponsor the installation of Internet connections for their judges and prosecutors within their respective jurisdiction.

Behan said the government will be paying over P15,000 a month for the use of Internet connection at the RTCs and MTCs.

He thanked Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona for his invaluable assistance in making the project a success and the office of the Executive Judge of the RTC and MTC of Manila, the office of the city prosecutor and the Management Information System Office of the Supreme Court. Corona was the guest during the ceremonial launch of the judicial Internet.