SC fire probed but hearings go on -- court official INQUIRER.net
January 16, 2007
A TEAM from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has inspected the damage that was caused by a fire inside the Supreme Court's session hall on Monday, a representative from the Office of the Chief Justice said Tuesday.
Midas Marquez said the team would be drafting an evaluation report before reconstruction could start.
"We have to wait for the GSIS evaluation report before proceeding with the plans of rehabilitating the session hall," Marquez said.
Funds from the rehabilitation will come from GSIS funds -- being the high court's insurer.
This is the first time that the high court's session hall had caught fire. A few years back, the Department of Justice (DoJ) had also caught fire, and was prevented from spreading to the Supreme Court.
Marquez could not give an immediate estimate of the damage.
"But I don't think it’s much because it’s only water damage and only one curtain caught fire," he said.
The fire however failed to disrupt court activities, with the justices holding their first en banc session for this year at their lounge on the seventh floor.
"The en banc room is intact but it's still wet so they temporarily moved to the 7th floor," Marquez said.
Meanwhile, oral arguments on a land dispute in Quezon City on January 30 will push through and will be held at the high court's session hall at its old building along Taft Avenue in Manila, said Marquez.
