First Tri-City Justice Zone to be launched in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Ozamis

THE Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSSC) will launch next month the country’s first Tri-City Justice Zone in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Ozamis.

The JSSC is composed of the Supreme Court, Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

According to the SC, the justice zone will focus on addressing online sexual abuse and exploitation of children in the three cities.

The Justice Zone is the JSCC’s flagship program and has been institutionalized by the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.

There are nine Justice Zones nationwide in Quezon City, Cebu City, Davao City, Angeles City, Bacolod City, Naga City, Calamba City, Balanga City, and Baguio City.

The Justice Zone was launched in Quezon City, with the High Court saying it was chosen as the pilot area because it has the biggest residential population in the country at 2.9 million and makes up more than five percent of the total caseloads handled by courts.

The program involves coordinative reforms in a given area such as the Katarungang Pambarangay, Alternative Dispute Resolution, the Mediation and Conciliation Office with the Public Attorney’s Office, DOJ, police, paralegals, and inmate monitoring system, among others.

It also features a system where case records are preserved and stored digitally for easy monitoring and retrieval.