Judicial Concerns
Written by admin on November 12, 2009.
The Judicial system in Butuan is overloaded and backlogged interminably.
Should you find yourself in a civil action, be prepared for a long drawn out process. In most cases, the cost/wait is not worth the frustration.
Should you find yourself in a legal situation of a more serious nature, it is likely that the authorities will suggest that you simply disappear from the region, as has happened recently on a few occasions. In other words, they would prefer not to deal with an Expat.
In short, the Judicial System is not reliable, so conduct yourself accordingly.
As previously mentioned, we have a professional relationship with the local Police and Sheriff, and we have been called on to assist with some Expats who ‘screwed’ up. In turn, the Police have also asked us to mediate some situations. For example, a couple years ago an Expat was driving drunk and crashed a few too many times. The Police came by and informed us that they would allow the Expat a week to disappear forever, or they would have to act. The Expat greatly appreciated the ‘heads-up’, and relocated.
As an aside, I am often asked about whether an Expat should stop for ‘official looking authorities’ outside of town, or if they should stop if they get into a car accident. The local Police Chief suggests that Expats should not stop for anyone along the National Highway unless many other vehicles are also stopped. If an Expat is involved in an auto accident, it is best to proceed directly to the Police Station, if possible, and report the incident.
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