Press Release
March 5, 2007

KIKO: RESTORE PEOPLE'S FAITH IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM,
APPOINT 198 NEW JUDGES IMMEDIATELY

"I urge Malacañang to speed up the process of appointments of some 198 new judges to fill up the vacancies in the Judiciary and reduce the vacant salas nationwide. The JBC has not been sleeping on the job. We have processed a record 198 nominations. A total of 598 names have been submitted to Malacañang awaiting their action."

"If all 198 salas are filled up, the vacancy will be reduced to 16 percent from a high of 30 percent two years ago. The number of applications to the judiciary has reached unprecedented levels following the enactment in 2003 of RA 9227, a law we principally authored which saw the doubling of the pay of judges and justices. This will immensely improve the administration of justice in the country as the backlog of cases will be reduced significantly with more judges disposing of pending cases.

"Respect for the rule of law is undermined when there is undue delay in the disposition of cases due to the absence of permanent judges in over 200 courts nationwide. The rule of law is paramount in any civilized society. The 198 vacancies must be filled up immediately. Malacañang must now act on the pending nominations."

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