Angara lauds SC for starting Judges-at-Large program
Published Jan 5, 2020 12:00 am
By Hannah Torregoza
Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara has lauded the Supreme Court’s move to partially implement the Judges-At-Large Act by opening 50 initial positions, saying this is a significant step towards providing a faster resolution of pending cases in the courts.
Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara (Senator Sonny Angara Official Facebook Page / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
The SC’s full court resolution was publicly announced last Friday, Jan. 3. The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) will now start accepting applications and nominations for the 50 new positions for “roving judges” whose primary role would be to help speed up resolution of cases in trial courts with overloaded dockets.
The move is in response to Republic Act 11459 or the Judges-At-Large Act, which President Duterte signed in August of last year. The law particularly seeks 150 new positions for roving judges but funds that were made available by Congress under the judiciary’s 2020 budget were only for 50 positions.
“Our justice system has long been criticized for being excruciatingly slow,” said Angara, principal author of Republic Act 11459 or the Judges-at-Large Act.
“The huge caseload of the courts has resulted in the slow disposition of cases, to the detriment of both the victims of crimes, as well as the accused, many of who are innocent but are deprived of their liberty,” Angara noted.
Angara said the implementation of the law would help ensure that justice is served swiftly by freeing up the courts of its dockets.
The move, he also said, will greatly benefit victims of crimes and their families who have long been waiting for justice and persons wrongfully accused and deprived of liberty.
“For the victims of crimes and their families, the long wait for the resolution of cases adds to the emotional and financial burden that they have to bear on top of the pain they already experienced,” Angara noted.
“For the accused who are innocent, the fact that they are deprived of their liberty is an injustice to them. This is why we want cases to be resolved expeditiously,” he said.
The law mandates the creation of 100 judges-at-large posts for the Regional Trial Courts (RTC) and 50 posts for the Municipal Trial Courts (MTC).
But under the partial implementation of the law, 30 positions for the RTCs, and 20 for the MTCs would be opened.
These appointed judges-at-large will have no permanent courts and may be assigned by the SC as acting or assisting judges to any RTC or MTC in the country “as public interest may require.”
These judges-at-large, under the law, are entitled to salaries, privileges, allowances, emoluments, and benefits. They will also be entitled to the rank and title of regular RTC and MTC judges.
“This is the first step towards our objective of decongesting the courts of its dockets. Eventually, the law will be implemented in full and we will have more judges to handle the cases that have piled up in our courts,” the lawmaker emphasized.
The President is expected to sign the 2020 General Appropriations Act tomorrow, Jan. 6, Monday, which contains a P2.5-billion augmentation of the budget of the judiciary for the creation of new positions in the SC and the lower courts.
The judiciary’s budget also covers the repair and maintenance of halls of justice nationwide, the hiring of decongestion officers, and the hazard pay of judges.
Congress, under the 2020 national budget, also approved funding for the construction of an office building of the Sandiganbayan and the operating expenses of the Court of Appeals (CA) and Court of Tax Appeals (CTA).
Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara (Senator Sonny Angara Official Facebook Page / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
The SC’s full court resolution was publicly announced last Friday, Jan. 3. The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) will now start accepting applications and nominations for the 50 new positions for “roving judges” whose primary role would be to help speed up resolution of cases in trial courts with overloaded dockets.
The move is in response to Republic Act 11459 or the Judges-At-Large Act, which President Duterte signed in August of last year. The law particularly seeks 150 new positions for roving judges but funds that were made available by Congress under the judiciary’s 2020 budget were only for 50 positions.
“Our justice system has long been criticized for being excruciatingly slow,” said Angara, principal author of Republic Act 11459 or the Judges-at-Large Act.
“The huge caseload of the courts has resulted in the slow disposition of cases, to the detriment of both the victims of crimes, as well as the accused, many of who are innocent but are deprived of their liberty,” Angara noted.
Angara said the implementation of the law would help ensure that justice is served swiftly by freeing up the courts of its dockets.
The move, he also said, will greatly benefit victims of crimes and their families who have long been waiting for justice and persons wrongfully accused and deprived of liberty.
“For the victims of crimes and their families, the long wait for the resolution of cases adds to the emotional and financial burden that they have to bear on top of the pain they already experienced,” Angara noted.
“For the accused who are innocent, the fact that they are deprived of their liberty is an injustice to them. This is why we want cases to be resolved expeditiously,” he said.
The law mandates the creation of 100 judges-at-large posts for the Regional Trial Courts (RTC) and 50 posts for the Municipal Trial Courts (MTC).
But under the partial implementation of the law, 30 positions for the RTCs, and 20 for the MTCs would be opened.
These appointed judges-at-large will have no permanent courts and may be assigned by the SC as acting or assisting judges to any RTC or MTC in the country “as public interest may require.”
These judges-at-large, under the law, are entitled to salaries, privileges, allowances, emoluments, and benefits. They will also be entitled to the rank and title of regular RTC and MTC judges.
“This is the first step towards our objective of decongesting the courts of its dockets. Eventually, the law will be implemented in full and we will have more judges to handle the cases that have piled up in our courts,” the lawmaker emphasized.
The President is expected to sign the 2020 General Appropriations Act tomorrow, Jan. 6, Monday, which contains a P2.5-billion augmentation of the budget of the judiciary for the creation of new positions in the SC and the lower courts.
The judiciary’s budget also covers the repair and maintenance of halls of justice nationwide, the hiring of decongestion officers, and the hazard pay of judges.
Congress, under the 2020 national budget, also approved funding for the construction of an office building of the Sandiganbayan and the operating expenses of the Court of Appeals (CA) and Court of Tax Appeals (CTA).