Court trial experience

I just don’t know how to start and end this. Just read at your own risk. Rooootttss!! Hahaha I feel so stressed, really. I mean just for today. I don’t understand what I feel when I entered the hall of justice of Malaybalay Bukidnon. One of our clients went on trial today and OMG! As in OMG! Kanina lang ulit ako kinabahan ng todo, yong kaba na halos matatae kana, hindi ka makakain or makakainom ng tubig at parang may hangin sa tyan mo na it’s definitely hindi ko madescribe yong feeling. 

Well para akong tanga when I entered the court room, huling huli kasi akong pumasok kaya wala akong maupoan sa likod so I have no choice but doon ako sa gitna and yong nasa gilid ko (right side) mga almost 10 detainees. So like okay, they are still human kahit they committed murder, sell drugs at yong rape na case. Hindi ko kilala yong perpetrator ng client, hindi ko rin namukhaan kasi it’s our first time to attend her court hearing kasi trial na nga. 

Nong tinawag na sya, pinapapasok yong client namin and mas doon ang kaba ko dahil when she entered the court room together with my co-interns, shets lang yong dalawang tao na nasa right ko as in the nearest two, yong isa don was the perpetrator. Paking tape diba! And like they were talking “ohh! (name inserted) and the other said that “siya si ____” oh the hell silang dalawa diba dahil same sila ng kaso kaya pinaguusapan nila ang mga kagaguhan nila futangs ina nila! Lol I am not mad really. Not really! Hahahaha

So now nong tinawag na ang name nong perpetrator syempre, dumaan yong perpetrator sa likod namin, so like the feeling was paking tape parang yong mga intestine at liver ko eh napunta na sa heart ko sa sobrang kaba ko for I don’t know the reason. Hahaha and nong natapos ng pumunta ang perpetrator sa harap, ulit bumalik sya at dumaan sa likod and guess what diba he tried to talk to our client like “ate, ate…” (yon tawag niya kasi eldest kasi yong client pero stepdaughter lang naman niya yong client namin) so now yong dalawa kong kasamang interns niyakap yong client namin and hindi pinatingin at I don’t know nagfefeeling bouncer lang ako naman hahaha hinarang ko sya and told him “NO” with the kamay action harang. Roooottts! Hahaha yon ang nangyari sa loob ng court.

Now sa labas ng court, humingi ng 5 minute recess yong fiscal (lawyer ng client namin) para kausapin yong client namin. (our client was known na for ilang attempts magtrial – laging umiiyak kasi sa sobrang kaba at natatakot siyang magkamali ng statement sa mga gulat factor ng defense lawyer) SO, yong lawyer pumunta sa labas and biglang nagalit at sinabihan yong client namin na “wag kang magddrama dyan, kung gusto mo ng justice” (sa isip ko – saksakin ko kaya to!) and hindi pa siya nakontento siguro sinabihan niya ako (kasi nakatayo pa ako sa harap ng client) “SINO NAMAN KAYO!?” (hahahaha pakyu!) then our center social worker sabi “they are social work interns” then she replied like “AWWW… because NAKAKA-INTIMIDATE KAYO!” (at saan banda?! Roootts) sabi nong kasama kong intern, baka kasi dahil sa nangyari sa loob ng court room na hinarang namin yong perpetrator hahaha futeks kasi kami lang nasa loob that time dahil yong social worker mismo kasi wanted us to learn and experience kung ano ang meron talaga sa loob.

All in all, they wanted to lower the sentence yon ang hiling nila, in fact nilapitan pa kami nong nanay ng perpetrator and again dahil epal ako, after a few minutes na pakiusap sa client namin inakbayan ko si nanay at told her na “ok na nay, you’ve heard the minor’s decision” (our client decided not to lower the sentence and she will continue the trial kasi andun na sya, madami na rin daw nangyari so ipagpapatuloy na niya, walang atrasan) pinaalis ko si nanay kasi ayoko na dagdagan yong hirap ng client namin, hindi madali yong pinagdadaanan niya talaga and I feel that. sobrang kaba ko na nga how much more sya, na sya yong magsasabi sa harap ng judge kung ano talaga ang nangyari.

Almost na sana yon na hindi nalang magttrrial kasi pumayag na kami sa offer ng kabila na 10 years to 17 years and 6 months to 6 years na sentence kasi dalawa yong case na-file against the perpetrator. 

Pero I think the judge mismo hindi pumayag so wala kaming nagawa but to present our client sa court, as in siya na magsalita sa harap ng kanyang perpetrator. Para akong nanood ng movie, para din naulit ang lahat ng nangyari sa bata na kung SANA IF PWEDE lang wag na sana pagusapan pa doon or ulitin kasi yong trauma uulit na naman. Pero kailangan gawin ng bata para matapos na ang sinimulan niya. Like we always told her “kailangan mong tumawid dito para sa future mo” matalino kasi yong client namin, interesado mag-aral at makikita mo sa kanya yong determination niyang gusto niya magcollege kaso hindi niya alam saan siya titira at sino magpapaaral sa kanya dahil wala na siyang uuwian. Yong mother niya hindi pumanig sa kanya even the relatives. 

Anyways, thankful lang talaga kami today na nasurpass ng client namin yon trial niya at natapos rin after ilang attempts. Hindi pa namin ano ang decision dahil I think kailangan pa ng proof pa. stressful talaga sya, swear hehehe while she’s on trial halos hindi kami makagalaw sa kaba, hawak kamay nalang kami ng mga co-interns ko just to stretch and gained strength sa isa’t isa. It took almost an hour na question and answer and ramdam namin talaga ang hirap ng bata at kahit yong mga pangyayari parang nauulit na naman pero like i told her again na “this is your turning point, and after this, everything will be in placed” kasi we all know talaga we have our own turning points, trials in life and because of that mas naging matatag tayo at handa harapin ano man ang darating.

SO.. everything happens for a reason. I thanked God for all the strength he gave us today, it is indeed a long day pero kahit papano na-relieve kami. And what we are facing this week is our end of practicum sa center. We will be assigned sa community na this 2^nd semester. So again, goodluck to bags of luha. Hehehe