In addition to this the circumstance that all criminal causes in the islands had to be sent for review to the proper _audiencia_, caused a large accumulation of old cases in these higher courts, and this alone made their disposition a matter of some years.
To-day the procedure is rapid.

Information having been brought against the defendant, the trial is had in the same term or at most during the next term of court.

Sometimes the trial is suspended owing to the non-appearance of witnesses, but it can be said that cases are rare where causes are pending in the docket of the court for a longer period than two terms.

Causes appealed to the Supreme Court are disposed of promptly, and as a general rule it does not take over six months to get a decision.
Defendants in criminal cases have now been granted by the Philippine Bill certain fundamentally important rights which they did not formerly enjoy; namely, to appear and defend in person or by counsel at every stage of the proceedings; to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to testify as witnesses in their own behalf; to be exempt from testifying against themselves; to be confronted at the trial by, and to cross-examine, the witnesses against them; to have compulsory process issue for obtaining witnesses in their own favour; to have speedy and public trials; to be admitted to bail with sufficient sureties in all cases, except for capital offences.

None of these rights were enjoyed under the procedure in effect during the Spanish regime.