Marcos OKs law creating more courts for Islamic law

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed a law on August 12 that creates additional courts for Shari'a or Islamic religious law.

The new law mandates the creation of three additional Shari'a judicial districts and 12 circuit courts across the country.

This raises the number of Shari'a circuit courts from 51 to 63, with five courts in the sixth district, three in the seventh district, and four in the eighth district.

The following are the newly formed Shari’a judicial districts and their coverage areas:

• Sixth District: Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Camiguin, Cagayan de Oro City, and the provinces in Regions XI and XIII.
• Seventh District: Provinces within Regions VI, VII, and VIII.
• Eighth District: Metro Manila, the provinces within the Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions I, II, III, IV-A, V, and the MIMAROPA (Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan) region.

Before this law was signed, there were only five Shari’a judicial districts:

• First District: Province of Sulu
• Second District: Tawi-Tawi
• Third District: Basilan, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and the cities of Dipolog, Pagadian, and Zamboanga
• Fourth District: Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and the cities of Iligan and Marawi
• Fifth District: Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Cotabato City

Shari'a courts are under the administrative supervision of the Supreme Court and cover the customary and personal laws of Muslims.

However, they do not cover the country's criminal laws, which are still defined and punished under the Revised Penal Code and special penal laws.