To ensure speedy disposition of all pending cases and help decongest prisons and detention centers, Senator Raffy Tulfo urged the Judiciary to create more courts and increase its pool of judges nationwide.
Tulfo said the Judiciary should immediately assess places with insufficient number of judges and court houses to address clogging of court dockets that could help in swiftly dispensing justice to poor and innocent individuals rotting in jail pending trial of their cases.
The legislator maintained that there are many inmates in city jails who were wrongly accused of crimes they did not commit or were merely used as fall guys by erring authorities.
“Countless of innocent inmates are languishing in city jails, ginamit na fall guy at napagtripan dahil mahirap at walang pampiyansa. Overwhelmed din sa kaso ang mga korte kaya kapag nadesisyunan, ilang taon na ang lumipas at ilang taon na ring nagdusa ang biktima. This is anti-poor! Justice delayed is justice denied!” the lawmaker said.
“Dapat ay mabigyan din ang inosenteng biktima ng compensation mula sa gobyerno para sa ilang taong pagdurusa nila sa kulungan!”
“I am proposing a bill na yung mga awtoridad na nagtanim ng ebidensya at sinadyang makulong ang inosenteng akusado ay maparusahan nang kasing-bigat ng kinaso nila sa kanilang biktima. Dapat ay mabigyan din ang inosenteng biktima ng compensation mula sa gobyerno para sa ilang taong pagdurusa nila sa kulungan!” the senator added.
During the public hearing of the Committee of Justice and Human Rights joint with Public Information and Mass Media; and Finance, the senator raised the problems on the shortage in the number of courts and judges in the country, which contributes to the slow Philippine justice system greatly affecting the poor who do not have capacity to post bail.
In the said hearing, Court Administrator Raul Villanueva confirmed that there are roughly 1,100 court houses and halls of justice all over the country, but only 400 of which are owned by the Supreme Court (SC). The remaining ones are owned by the Local Government Units (LGUs).
For his part, Tulfo expressed strong reservation on having court houses owned by LGUs, especially when they are also the ones purchasing furniture and appliances for the court, including electric fan and air conditioning unit.
He said such practice leaves judges indebted to politicians, and thus affecting judicial independence. He added that all courts should be owned and managed by the SC, to which Villanueva agreed while stressing the need for enough budgetary support.
“Dahil sa kakulangan ng budget ng korte, ang LGU pa ang nagpo-provide ng ibang gamit tulad ng aircon, furniture at electronic device para dito, kaya nagkakaroon ng utang na loob ang mga judges sa mga politiko na nagiging untouchables.”
“Dapat ay mabigyan ng karagdagang budget ang Supreme Court para magkaroon ito ng autonomy at independence na magpatayo ng mga korte ng judges. Dahil sa kakulangan ng budget ng korte, ang LGU pa ang nagpo-provide ng ibang gamit tulad ng aircon, furniture at electronic device para dito, kaya nagkakaroon ng utang na loob ang mga judges sa mga politiko na nagiging untouchables,” Tulfo stressed.
It can be recalled that he questioned the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) consistent cut on the recommended budget of the Judicial department during the budget deliberation at the Senate. He even recommended its budget increase for 2023 to also help with its modernization and digitization.
As part of his effort to strengthen the Judiciary, Tulfo filed Senate Bill (SB) No. 214 this 19th Congress seeking to provide the modernization of the judiciary.
