Tacloban: The Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC) is poised to launch the Tri-City Specialty Justice Zone in Eastern Visayas on November 5, 2025. This initiative aims to bolster justice sector coordination throughout the region.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Tri-City Specialty Justice Zone will be established in the cities of Tacloban, Ormoc, and Calbayog in Samar. Simultaneous launch events are planned at the Summit Hotel in Tacloban City, Sabin Resort Hotel in Ormoc City, and the Calbayog City Sports Center. The cities have fulfilled the rigorous criteria under the Justice Zone Components, necessitating the implementation of at least 40 inter-agency coordinative reforms throughout the criminal justice process, from case initiation to adjudication and post-judgment actions.
The initiative primarily focuses on enhancing coordination among justice sector institutions in tackling online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, as well as cases involving child sexual abuse or exploitation material in Eastern Visayas. This forthcoming launch follows a thorough assessment conducted by the JSCC technical working group, which evaluated processes and capacity building within the sector.
Preparatory activities for the launch have encompassed stakeholder orientations and consultations, development planning workshops, and the completion of the Justice Zone readiness checklist. This checklist assessed the capability and commitment of local justice sector agencies to this initiative.
The Tri-City Zone marks the seventh Specialty Justice Zone to be established nationwide, following the creation of similar zones in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, and Ozamiz in September 2024. These zones are part of the JSCC’s flagship program, which promotes localized, multi-sectoral collaboration among justice institutions, thereby enabling focused responses to specific justice challenges within selected areas.
The JSCC, formed through a Joint Declaration on April 30, 2010, comprises the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
