Prosecutor Velasco retires

By JOY R. SEVILLA

ALABEL, Sarangani (January 20, 2014) – The provincial government of Sarangani gave a warm tribute to Atty. Felipe Vicente Velasco, outgoing chief of the Sarangani Province Prosecutor’s Office (SPPO), during the flag raising ceremony at the Capitol Grounds Monday (January 20).

Velasco, who was appointed as provincial prosecutor in 2006, was succeeded by Atty. Elmer Lastimosa as OIC-provincial prosecutor.

“I believe that the office will be in a better shape. For the past years, a lot of pending cases have been reduced. I will be leaving the remaining 160 pending cases to able hands,” Velasco said, referring to Atty. Lastimosa.

Velasco expressed his thanks to the provincial government of Sarangani for instituting the Justice on Wheels (JOWs) Program during his stint which hastened the disposition of cases involving indigent litigants whose family member remained a detainee in jail because of the slow pace of litigation.

Board Member Cesar Nallos, who represented Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon, congratulated Velasco for his unwavering service rendered to the province.

It was also during Velasco’s stint as provincial prosecutor when Sarangani Province acquired the highest rate conviction in the whole Region XII at 96 percent.

This, Velasco said, could be attributed to the implementation of JOWs under the Justice Enhancement and Empowerment Program (JEEP) in 2006.

JOWs is a bus that has been reconstructed into a court room. It is the only mobile court with a permanently assigned judge authorized by the Supreme Court to assist the Regional Trial Court.

Meanwhile, Judge Oscar Noel, who was the assigned judge to the JOWs, welcomed Velasco to a new stage of his life and hoped that he will enjoy his retirement. (Joy Sevilla/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)