Undersecretary Raul T. Vasquez, on behalf of DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla, delivered the DOJ’s message on the occasion of the Justice Sector Coordinating Council’s (JSCC) Dagupan City Justice Zone Launch on 25 March 2024, at the CSI Stadia, Dagupan City, Pangasinan. He shared developments in the DOJ since the 10 November 2023 launch of the first Green Justice Zone in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, starting with the Supreme Court’s forthcoming removal of preliminary investigation from Rule 112 of the Rules of Court. This is consistent with the prevailing jurisprudence that preliminary investigation is an executive function. He highlighted that such amendment will ensure the filing of quality cases and in turn, lower dockets in the law enforcement, prosecution, judiciary, and corrections clusters.

Other significant updates imparted by Undersecretary Vasquez include the following:

(a) As of February 2024, there were 11,312 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) released, 1,553 recommendations for Executive Clemency, and 4,146 PDLs granted parole;

(b) Ongoing formation of a Technical Working Group (TWG) to develop a policy of releasing PDLs based on the grant of compassionate justice;

(c) Maximizing reformation of PDLs through utilization of idle lands of the Bureau of Corrections for agricultural-commercial purposes, to be implemented via a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between DOJ and the Department of Agriculture;

(d) Creation of the Board of Claims (BOC) under the DOJ, pursuant to Republic Act No. 7309; and

(e) Institution of a referral system for victims of human rights violations, initiated through a MOA between DOJ-BOC and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on 14 March 2024.

On promoting the rights of women and children, he relayed DOJ’s issuance of a Department Order enjoining all prosecutors not to file criminal cases against social workers who take temporary protective custody of children as part of the performance of their official duty. He concluded by sharing the DOJ’s establishment of its Human Rights Office (HRO) and Gender and Development Special Protection Unit (GSPU) in December 2023, as part of the Department’s commitment to a human rights-based approach in law enforcement.