THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday launched a training and educational program for state prosecutors and law enforcers on effective case build-up.
The initiative was in line with a directive of President Marcos to make police services closer to the people while at the same time equipping them with legal support from the prosecutors.
In a chance interview, Justice Assistant Secretary and spokesman Mico Clavano said the collaboration is key to filing strong cases before the court.
“If we are filing a case and there is law enforcement involved, the prosecutors are also involved. Our law enforcement agents are no longer alone, but they now have a partner here at the DOJ… This is the implementation of [Department Circular] DC 20,” he said.
The DIJ issued the circular in 2023 for the proactive involvement of prosecutors in case build-up.
Prosecutors should be able to identify the strongest evidence and most credible witnesses in cases, as well as increase the conviction rate, Clavano added.
At present, there are 1,800 law enforcers and prosecutors who have undergone the training.
The DOJ is looking to expand the training to double the number of trained individuals by the end-2025.
Among the participating agencies are the Department of the Interior and Local Government the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
