Samar 2nd District Representative Reynolds Michael Tan has requested official documents and a formal explanation from the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding its handling of long-delayed Petitions for Review (PetRevs) and Motions for Reconsideration (MRs).
Tan, who sits on the House Committee on Justice, is gathering background information for a potential legislative inquiry into complaints that remain stalled under departmental review for extended periods.
A PetRev allows parties to appeal a prosecutor’s preliminary investigation resolution directly to the DOJ.
In a letter addressed to Acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida, the Visayan lawmaker inquired about the procedural timeline of an MR tied to the nearly decade-old Alfredo Mañas Sr. case, while also seeking details on existing DOJ mechanisms designed to clear similar backlogs.
“Before doing so, however, I believe it is important and appropriate to obtain the department’s official account and inputs regarding the status of the…Mañas, Sr. case, the procedural history of the pending [MR], and the Department’s existing mechanisms for addressing similar cases, if any, that remain under review for extended periods,” he said.
Tan emphasized that obtaining the department’s official perspective is a necessary step before launching a formal inquiry, assuring that any future House proceeding will honor the agency’s autonomy and constitutional boundaries.
“Any legislative inquiry will, of course, be undertaken with due regard for the independence of the department, the rights of the accused, the interests of victims, and the proper boundaries between congressional oversight and pending prosecutorial or judicial proceedings,” noted Tan.
The lawmaker underscored that the initiative aims to assess whether current prosecutorial processes effectively safeguard the right to a speedy and fair disposition of cases.
“Our objective should be straightforward: to determine whether our existing system adequately ensures that justice is delivered not only fairly, but also within a reasonable period of time.”