BUTUAN CITY – The Office of the Regional Prosecutor in the Caraga Region, under the Department of Justice (DOJ), has achieved a 35 percent conviction rate as of the first semester of the year, up from 19 percent in the same period in 2016.
“As of June 2024, 1,906 convictions were recorded by the region's provincial and city prosecutor offices,” Regional Prosecutor John Magdaraog said during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas here on Tuesday.
Of the total convictions, 708 were drug cases, 198 were illegal gambling, 189 were rape cases, 121 on child abuse, 94 on illegal possession of firearms, 65 on illegal logging, and 531 on other index and non-index crimes.
Magdaraog said the achievement included 12 convictions against the founder of the Kabos Padatoon (Kapa) International Ministry and other co-accused.
Kapa founder Joel Apolinario, who was facing charges of large-scale syndicated estafa, was arrested by the operatives of the Police Regional Office 13 (Caraga Region) in an operation in Lingig, Surigao del Sur in July 2020.
Meanwhile, the Regional Prosecutors Office reported a decrease in the number of pending cases in court, which numbered 22,354 cases in the first semester of this year, compared to 22,776 cases in the first half of 2023 and 23,698 in the same period in 2022.
Decongestion of cases
Magdaraog also reported the implementation of DOJ Department Circular 20, which helped decongest the number of cases in courts in the region.
“Under the circular, prosecutors are mandated to take an active role in the investigation, particularly during case build-up,” Magdaraog said.
He said the rule raised the quantum of proof in investigating criminal complaints from probable cause, prima facie evidence, and reasonable certainty of conviction.
Data showed that as of June 30, only 4,514 out of the 5,664 complaints filed in prosecution offices in the region were transmitted to courts through information and filing. It also indicated that 736 of the 5,664 complaints during the period were dismissed, while the other 414 are still pending.
During the first semester of the year, Magdaraog said the DOJ recognized the high achievement of the Caraga Regional Prosecution Office for garnering a 99.9 percent case disposition rate, 99.2 percent case aging rate, and 92.8 percent prosecution success rate. (PNA)
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