KIKO PANGILINAN TO AQUINO GOVERNMENT: CONVENE JELACC TO ADDRESS LONG TERM SOLUTIONS TO
CORRUPTION AND RESPECT FOR THE RULE OF LAW

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan today recommends to the Aquino administration to convene the Judicial Executive Legislative Advisory and Consultative Council to modernize the judicial system and expedite cases more swiftly.

"The hostage crisis was a crisis of law enforcement and respect for the rule of law. The cure is to modernize our system of justice , to send a strong signal to would be law breakers that the justice system is responsive and will mete out punishment regardless of the offense, big or small, against anyone, rich or poor. Without an effective and modernized system of justice, we will never achieve a healthy respect for the rule of law."

JELACC is the brainchild of Pangilinan, as first proposed during the Summit on Extra-judicial Killings and Involuntary Disappearances in July 2007. It is the only government entity that provides for the participation and interaction of the three highest officials of the three branches of government. JELACC's mandate is to undertake measures on matters affecting the primacy of the rule of law.

"The hostage crisis, the torture by men in uniform, the Maguindanao massacre, the abuse of officials of the GOCC of fat bonuses and allowances stem from one issue only, and that is corruption and abuse of power, and disrespect for our laws take place simply because the justice system in all its inefficiency and antiquity is unable to punish the guilty swiftly and effectively."

"We need to put our money where our mouth is and allocate the needed resources to provide teeth for our system of justice and law enforcement. All these investigations will lead to nowhere unless we provide the needed reforms in the justice system and give them the needed resources to fulfill their mandate."

"Convening the JELACC is an outside the box solution to the problems we face. We need creative and novel approaches to address problems that have plagued our justice system for decades. New, bold and novel approaches are needed; the old inutile approaches must be rejected."