COURT IMMERSION REPORT

Submitted by: Theo Miguel A. Ballesteros

Court: Regional Trial Court, Branch 102-Quezon City

Presiding Judge: Hon. Ma. Lourdes A. Giron

Public Prosecutor: SACP Elenita N.E. Macatangay-Alvior

PAO Lawyer: Atty. Joenel R. Competente

Branch Clerk of Court: Stephen Ivan M. Salinas

Summary

The beginning of the court session began when the clerk of court ordered us to
stand as the honourable Judge Giron made her entrance. We stand in silence for the
ecumenical prayer, after it we were allowed to take a seat. The cases were not called
in the order provided in the court calendar. The branch we visited was a family court
and the two of the three cases we witness pertain to the issuance of permanent
protection order and temporary protection order and the other case was about the
dissolution of conjugal partnership of gains.

The court interpreter called in the first case of Canaveral v. Canaveral, the counsel for
the petitioner stood up and introduced himself, after making his appearance known to
the court. The respondent rose up and informs the judge that her counsel cannot make
it, since Atty. Abad is confined in a hospital. The court took notice of the fact that the
case was only for the issuance of temporary protection order and yet it was extended
for an unreasonable period of time. The last hearing conducted was December 11,
2017. The court ordered the case to be archived.

The second case called was Galang v. Galang, which also pertains to the issuance of
the temporary protection order and permanent protection order. The honourable
judge in this case discussed that the report submitted to her by the city social worker
yielded positive result. She inquired whether the parties were able to come into an
agreement regarding the possibility of joint/alternative custody of the children. The
counsels inform the judge that it was in the negative, since petitioner only wants
visitation right every Saturday and support. The respondent wants joint custody over the
children. Both parties has come with two irreconcilable proposals. The case was for
resetting: October 17, 2019 (Thursday). The judge ordered the counsels to explain to the
clients about the delays.
The last case called was Calibot v. Calibot, which pertains to the case of dissolution of
conjugal partnership of gains. The only party present was the petitioner and his counsel,
due to te unexplained absence of the respondent the petitioner was able to present his
evidence ex parte. The petitioner’s witness was himself, petitioner affirmed that the
judicial affidavit presented to the court was his. He also presented to the court the
following documents:

a) Petition for declaration of nullity of marriag

b) Decision of the RTC Pasig nullifying the marriage

c) Entry of judgment

d) Certificate from the city registrar that it received the order of the RTC Pasig

e) Certificate of title over the Parcels of land in Dumaguete

f) Tax declaration + improvements

h) Certificate of title over the Toyota Revo 2004

No other witness was presented.

Counsel asked the court for 10 days to file formal over of evidence.

All of the cases were concluded after one hour.

Observations:

The first noticeable thing upon entering the hall of justice of Quezon City was the
façade of the building which is in a sad and sorry state. The city being the largest city in
national capital region and also being one of its richest, should have allocated
substantial budget to renovate the facilities of the hall of justice. Our courts should not
only be credible and reliable, they must also look like one. Upon entering its halls, one
can see the external manifestations of the clogged dockets of our courts. Hallways
have become almost impassable, some not passable at all due to the volume of
papers stocked in its hallways. It shows that our existing courts are slowly being
overwhelmed by the growing number of cases.

Upon, entry to the court room, one can’t help but notice that the size of the court
room, is not large enough to handle large number of attendees. Sometimes, in the
event that the court has to hear many cases in one day; the litigants and their counsel
had to wait outside before their cases can be heard. The court room I witnessed is not
the same as how they portray it in the movies.
Another thing to ponder is that, clogged docket of the courts. On case I witness a
simple case for temporary protection order which only last for 30 days, has already
been pending for 3 years due to the acts imputable to the parties and clogged court
docket.

Despite all of these, the effort poured by the judges, lawyers and civil servants, in the
judiciary branch is commendable. Their hard work and dedication has been very
instrumental in speeding up the dispensation of justice in our country, most especially
Quezon city. The branch 102 of Quezon city has a very welcoming, accommodating
and hardworking staff, despite of the toxic environment and heavy work load.

Looking back, our court immersion is an enlightening experience which opens our eyes
to the realities being faced by our courts in the present. It may have erased some of the
idealism we used to have about the court, but it was replaced with the idea that we
should study harder, so that we can contribute to the improvement of our justice system
as early as we can.
Photo with Judge Ma. Lourdes A. Giron