Even with the upsurge of drugs cases during the first semester of 2017, the Regional Trial Court Branch 30 in Negros Oriental has a conviction rate of 94 percent, according to records of the drugs court during the first semester this year.
During the period, RTC Branch 30 Judge Rafael Crescencio Tan Jr. got a conviction rating of 94 percent out of 50 cases tried and decided on the merits of these cases.
Forty seven cases resulted in convictions while only two cases resulted in acquittals on the accused. There was one case which was dismissed upon the instance of the government prosecutor.
Of the 47 convictions, 27 were meted the penalty of life imprisonment, two were sentenced to 20 years and one day in jail, 15 were sentenced to 12 years and one day to a maximum of 14 years and one day in jail, and three accused were meted out six months and one day to two years in jail.
Aside from the penalty of imprisonment, the accused were also slapped with fines ranging from P300,000 to P1 million.
Records also showed 31 decided cases being appealed to the Court of Appeals after their conviction. Three cases have been archived because the accused could not be found.
RTC Branch 30 has a total of 186 pending cases as of June 30 this year. (Juancho Gallarde/PNA)
