Angara pushes for judges-at-large, marshal service in budget

MANILA, Philippines — With support from Congress, pending court cases in the judiciary will be adjudicated faster through the appointment of judges-at-large, funded under the 2021 national budget, Sen. Sonny Angara said yesterday.

Angara, who steered early approval of the P4.5-trillion General Appropriations Act (GAA) as chairman of the Senate finance committee, said P244.988 million was included in the P45.3-billlion budget of the judiciary for implementation of Republic Act 11459 or the Judges-at-Large Act.

Enacted on Aug. 13, 2019, RA 11459 mandates the creation of judges-at-large posts for regional and municipal trial courts in order to decongest the courts of their dockets. The law was authored by Angara in the Senate and Speaker Lord Allan Velasco in the House of Representatives.

These appointed judges-at-large will have no permanent salas and may be assigned by the Supreme Court as acting or assisting judges to any regional trial court or metropolitan trial court in the country “as public interest may require.” They are entitled to salaries, privileges, allowances, emoluments, benefits, rank and title of regular RTC and MTC judges.

“For 2020, the first year of implementation of the law, we provided funding to cover for the creation of 50 judges-at-large posts. For 2021, we will double the number of posts to 100 as requested by Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta,” Angara said.

“We want to sustain the implementation of the Judges-at-Large Act to help ensure the delivery of speedy justice in the country. With the appointment of more judges, we can expect to see the resolution of more cases and eventually free up the courts of its backlog,” he said.

Also included in the budget of the judiciary for 2021 is a P50-million augmentation fund to cover for the deployment of judiciary marshals to secure the justices, judges and other court officials.

The Senate is set to approve Senate Bill 1947 or the proposed Judiciary Marshals Act that creates a judicial marshal service in response to the recent threats and attacks against judges and other court officials.

Once approved, an office of the judiciary marshals will be established under the Supreme Court and its continued funding will be ensured as part of the annual GAA.