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Justice for the poor: how adequate are the legal reforms in the Philippines?

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This research deals with the efficiency and effectiveness of the Justice for the Poor Programs of the Philippine Supreme Court which consist of Small Claim Cases and Enhanced Justice for the Poor. The former involves litigations on the inability to pay loans of not more than one hundred thousand pesos which will be resolved out rightly by First Level Court Judges without parties engaging legal counsel services. T11e Enhanced Justice on Wheels program is implemented to facilitate litigation on light felonies e.g., theft, vagrancy, which are punishable by incarceration from one to thirty days involving the poor in the country. Specifically, the research assesses the efficiency of the implementation from the perception of the beneficiaries in redressing their grievances; and from implementers in effecting the provisions in terms of accessibility to the law, procedure, duration of litigation, and resolutions of cases in a fair and transparent manner (effectiveness). These two mechanisms aim to benefit both the disadvantaged and the marginalized sectors of the population as well as the implementers of ilie programs.

The study undertook a review of court docun1ents, interviews of litigants and enforcers; and analysis of secondary sources such as Summary of Court Docket Records, Supreme Court Circular, Memorandum, Committee Reports and related literature on Philippine Judicial Reform Programs.

The Justice on Wheels (EJO\V) and Small Claims Cases (SCq, are deemed to be both cost-effective, sustainable, and adequate as they reduce the expenditure of the government in the cost of litigation and food subsidy for detained prisoners due to shortened litigation period.

The Small Claims Cases is sustainable given the low in1posed fees to the program and the monthly monitoring report which fine tunes the rules that needed to be amended. EJOW is not sustainable in the absence of ilie aforementioned mechanisms.

The public knowledge of the program was low and information dissemination was Iin1ited to courts' vicinity and personnel. However, ilie resolution of cases was fast as it declogs ilie court docket and decongests the jails. Therefore, these programs need to be supported and promoted.

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Availability

0105

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Detail Information

Series Title

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Call Number

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Publisher

Manila : Yuchengco Center - De La Salle University., 2014

Collation

xii + 101 hlm

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

978-621-8018-01-3

Classification

NONE

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Edition

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Subject(s)

Bantuan Hukum

Specific Detail Info

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