(Eagle News) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday designated the regional court in Cagayan de Oro to “hear, try and decide all cases and incidents arising from the Maute Group takeover of Marawi City.”
“The (High Court)…resolved to direct these courts to speedily act on all prosecutions and incidents arising from (such), complying with the revised guidelines on continuous trial and all relevant court resolutions and issuances designed to expedite criminal prosecutions such as but not limited to the use of conditional examination of witnesses, depositions and interrogatories, and extended pre-trial proceedings to facilitate the trial,” the SC said on Tuesday.
According to the SC, the move was in response to a letter sent by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre to Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno for her to designate “special courts” outside of Mindanao to hear these kinds of cases.
The High Court also resolved to “designate the Court of Appeals Mindanao Station based in Cagayan de Oro as the station to hear and act on all incidents relative to the requirements of (Republic Act) 9372 (The Human Security Act).”
It also directed the court administrator to “coordinate with the commanding general, Fourth Infantry Division stationed at Camp Evangelista, Patag, Cagayan de Oro City, to determine appropriate security measures for court personnel, prosecutors, lawyers and accused, as well as appropriately secure detention facilities to be located within Camp Evangelista, but under the supervision and control of the RTC of Cagayan de Oro City.”