KIKO PANGILINAN BLAMES SLOW JUDICIAL SYSTEM FOR TRILLANES PLIGHT; URGES JUDICIARY TO SPEED UP CASE DISPOSITION,
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Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan today urges the Judiciary to assess various problems plaguing the country's justice system and come up with long-term solutions to address these issues.

"They can't blame the President for acting on Senator Trillanes' case. For a case to languish for seven years and remain unresolved is an indictment of the state of our system of justice."

Pangilinan adds that the Judiciary has failed over the years to provide fair and equal justice to Filipinos.

"The Judiciary and the Supreme Court must come to terms with the reality that the system of justice has become nearly inutile in ensuring that our people's right to a swift disposition of cases is upheld."

"Respect for our laws and the justice system are undermined because of the undue delay in the resolution of court cases. If the executive branch had to step in at this late hour it is because at the onset the judiciary failed to give the accused the constitutional right to speedy trial. In a manner of speaking, the entire justice system is guilty of failing to dispose of cases swiftly as mandated by our constitution but has yet to be tried and convicted."

"Records of the court administrator will show that the average lifespan of a case before a Philippine court is six years. This is totally unacceptable. Part of the reason is that despite the available budget, the Supreme Court and the JBC has failed to fill up 25 percent of the positions of judges nationwide. This too is unacceptable. The delay in the resolution of cases is an injustice in itself. And looking at it in a bigger perspective, the primary victim of this inefficient justice system are the less privileged because only those who can afford the services of lawyers and the costs that come with prolonged hearings have a fighting chance in seeking redress."

"We urge the committee to look deeper into the legal implications and ramifications that come with the work it is set out to do, its findings and recommendations."