Sara: Slow justice leads to EJKs

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte has urged trial court judges to hasten the resolution of pending cases, saying the country’s slow justice system contributes to the prevalence of extra-judicial killings or EJKs.

“We must strive to ensure that justice is not only served, but is served swiftly. We must work together to expedite the resolution of cases and restore faith in our justice system,” Duterte said in a speech during the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Philippine Trial Judges League Inc. in Cebu City on Oct. 12.

Duterte, a lawyer, said that among the biggest challenges that the judiciary is facing today is to restore the people’s faith in the justice system, which has eroded due to the slow administration of justice.

“It (lack of trust in the justice system) contributes to extra-judicial killings, the thirst for instant justice and the dangerous trend of individuals taking matters into their own hands,” Duterte said.

“Citizens, tired of waiting for their cases to be resolved, become disillusioned with the justice system. They become desperate for resolution, for closure and for retribution. This desperation, born out of a lack of timely justice, can manifest in dangerous ways. It can lead to a breakdown of trust in our institutions and the erosion of the very fabric of our society,” Duterte exlpained.

Duterte, who is also the concurrent education secretary, warned that failure to address this challenge has “far-reaching and profound” consequences.

Cases of EJKs spiked during the term of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.

The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber in January this year issued a decision authorizing the Office of the Prosecutor to resume its investigation on the EJK cases in the Philippines in connection with the bloody war on illegal drugs during the administration of the older Duterte.

The investigation was halted since November 2022 to give way to the government’s own investigation.