I was running on four hours of sleep, feeling crappy, looking crappier. My usual cold milk instant pick-me-up facial did not work. In addition, I was dreading the hearing because my client’s plea-bargaining proposal was not approved by the prosecutor.
Rushing to the Iloilo Hall of Justice, my friend and I were greeted by the news that there was a bomb threat. Me, I was ready to turn back and embrace the reprieve wholeheartedly. My friend was ever the paranoid being who wanted to be sure (we strike a pretty good balance) so we headed towards the entrance, met some people who gave us the same news, and eventually saw court employees coming out of the building with happy, smiling faces. WHOA!
Yes, bomb threats in the Hall of Justice are generally not feared. They are welcomed, not because of the potential danger but because these are opportunities for court employees to abandon their stations and leave the building; for lawyers to go have coffee with fellow lawyers; for some accused to have the promulgation of their sentence postponed. Sometimes, it’s advantageous to litigants where witnesses are not available, or lawyers are unprepared. Hearings are cancelled and the building evacuated until the bomb squad decides that it’s safe to come back in. It’s justice delayed, but not necessarily justice denied.
bgtarianism 