MANILA — The Supreme Court said it will study input from Persons Deprived of Liberty or PDLs collected during stakeholder consultations conducted by the The Asia Foundation in jails and prisons all over the country.

In a statement, the high court said its Sub-Committee on the Revision of the Rules of Criminal Procedure has received inputs from the consultations held from November to December 2024.

The consultations were done in various detention facilities such as La Union Provincial Jail, Angeles City District Jail, Talisay City Jail, Mandaue City Jail, Davao City Jail, Davao del Sur Provincial Jail and the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City.

The PDLs included women, men, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, women with children, pregnant women at the time of their arrest and mothers with children under one year old.

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The Supreme Court is currently revisiting its Rules of Criminal Procedure or CRIMPRO Rules as part of the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovation 2022-2027 of the judiciary.

“The proposed revisions aim to address the twin problems of docket congestion and delays in criminal proceedings,” the SC said.

During the consultations, the PDLs shared concerns such as the absence of competent lawyers upon arrest and prolonged pre-trial detention.

“To address this, proposed amendments to the Rules include expressly allowing the dismissal of cases where the right to a speedy trial has been violated,” the SC said.

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The court also noted that other proposed revisions cover alternative modes of detention, conditional arraignment, custodial hearing, and the application of the writ of habeas corpus in criminal cases.

The consultations done by the Asia Foundation were in partnership with the Humanitarian Legal Assistance Foundation, Inc. and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Rizal- San Juan-Mandaluyong Chapter, under the Australian government-supported Fostering Advancement of Inclusive and Rights-based Justice or FAIR Justice Program.

The SC said the stakeholder consultations complement its regional consultations with judges, legal practitioners and academics in Lipa City, General Santos City, Zamboanga City, Bacolod City, Tagbilaran City and Manila from August to November 2024.