KFR lawyer says no to IRC hearings
Mabugat
A leading Ilonggo criminal lawyer is saying "no" to the planned special Court hearings of controversial cases inside the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center (IRC) premises.
Calling it "unnecessary legal expenses for the clients," for lawyer Cornelio Panes the plan that awaits forthcoming nod of the Supreme Court (SC) is only an added burden. The "clients" here are murder, rape, kidnapping suspects including Panes client Pedro Caunday who faces trial on Kidnapping For Ransom (KFR) charges.
As proposed by warden Juan Mabugat, all pending celebrated cases with high-risk IRC inmates as accused are to be tried before a special Court room in the multi-million jail facility. The offer came from Mabugat after consultation with Governor Niel Tupas.
"I am not in favor because it will be additional costs for clients who will have to pay counsels appearance fee equivalent to an out of town engagement," Atty. Panes said when reached for comment by The News Today (TNT). "It is not practical for the Court staff too."
Mabugat in an earlier TNT interview guaranteed security and safety of all involved in the forthcoming case hearings. The IRC, Iloilo's biggest detention center for the province's notorious police personalities will soon open two modern courtrooms in a multi-million facility located in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo.
"We have enough jail security personnel who are ready and equipped to guard the courtrooms and our security plans have been thoroughly discussed," Mabugat explained. "There will be limited people inside the IRC designated courtroom so there is nothing to fear."
Mabugat's request came about after due consideration was given on the huge building space within the new IRC. Further still are the expenses incurred and major logistics involved in transporting the accused inmates to and from the IRC and the city.
Such on top of the greater risks to both the inmates cum accused and the jail security tasked to closely guard in every city appearances of the group. Once calendar of cases are established, Warden Mabugat said it would be "all-systems go" for the IRC hearings.