In Manila, new prisoners very rarely know their rights.  Years of their lives are being determined by a system that they don’t fully understand.  Because of this, the JusticeMakers in Manila make a point to hold an orientation once a month in each jail to inform new inmates about the penal system, their rights within it, and the help that the Paralegal Coordinators in the prisons can offer them.

I was recently able to follow Junard and Julius, two of the JusticeMakers here, to an orientation session in Mandaluyong City Jail in Manila.  The information they presented at this meeting was very basic.  The purpose was not to instruct the prisoners about their individual cases, but rather to teach them how the system works, and where they fit into it. The important thing for the inmates in these prisons is knowing what comes next, so that they can be prepared for it.

The impact of orientations like this can be powerful.  Through the information provided, inmates are able to see their trial as a concrete system, with rules and regulation and clear procedure.  In addition, they are introduced to the Paralegal Coordinators in the jail, who can provide advice for individual inmates on their upcoming case.  This allows them to collaborate and prepare for upcoming hearings in an informed manner.  Because of basic orientations and innovations like the Paralegal Coordinator, the JusticeMakers in Manila are building a system that is helping to decongest the prisons in Manila through information and inmate empowerment.

One of my coworkers in Manila has a very interesting story.  His experience illustrates not only the problems in the justice system in the Philippines, but also how the JusticeMakers are making a difference.

Julius Montealegre was playing Mah Jongg on the sidewalk with friends on Aug 23, 2002 when 2 plainclothes policemen approached him.  The police were responding to a tip that there were drugs in the area and Julius was picked up.  According to Julius, he was questioned, roughed up, then sent to jail, despite the fact that this had been a warrantless arrest, and no drugs had been found on him.

His first hearing was scheduled for a month later, but that was postponed.  The judge was gone on vacation.  3 months later, another postponement – the prosecutor was at a seminar.   This continued for a year.  When his trial finally got underway, it was slow going.  Hearings, motions, defense, prosecution, calling witness, and cross examinations all take place at separate hearings – generally scheduled 3 months apart.  Julius was going to be waiting for awhile.

In his free time at the jail, Julius became one of the first Paralegal Coordinators working with the JusticeMakers.  He learned and educated his fellow inmates about their rights and the laws they were accused of breaking.  In this way, he and fellow inmates were able to proactively work on their own defenses – a necessity when the accused generally meets his court-appointed attorney an hour before an upcoming trial.

In 2008, 6 years after his arrest, Julius was released because of a lack of evidence.  His work with Rommel and the JusticeMakers in Manila helped free him from jail.  Since his release, they have hired him full time and he continues to educate inmates about their rights.

The team spoke with various police-officials, including the chief officer, and asked them to fill out questionnaires. It quickly became evident that a number of them were unaware of the existence of any legal rights for juveniles.

Juvenile and women prisoners were being held at the same institution, and two of the cells at the Malir Courts District Jail were holding both adult male prisoners and juveniles. The team also met with inmates to hear views on the conditions they are subjected to. They complained about the behavior of two specific police-officers and the LRF have promised to take action.