WATCH: Davao City court holds first video conference hearing in the country

MANILA, Philippines— A Davao City Regional Trial Court conducted the first ever trial by video conferencing in the country on Monday.

A detainee at the  Davao City Jail suspected to be a New People’s Army member was tried before Davao RTC Branch 16 and Executive Judge Emmanuel Carpio.

The video conference hearing comes after the Supreme Court approved the guidelines on the use of videoconferencing technology to allow the remote appearance and testimonies of those facing charges and detained in jail.

The Supreme Court approved A.M. No. 19-05-05 or the proposed “Guidelines on the Use of Videoconferencing Technology for the Remote Appearance or Testimony of Certain Persons Deprived of Liberty in Jails and National Penitentiaries” in a resolution issued June 25, 2010.

The guidelines were drafted by a special committee chaired by Associate Justice Diosdado Peralda.

According to the SC Public Information Office, allowing videoconference hearings seeks to eliminate the security and health risks posed by the personal appearance of persons deprived of liberty, who are also “considered to be high-risk or afflicted with highly contagious diseases.” —Rosette Adel