House committee oks Luigi court bill

CEBU, Philippines - The Committee on Appropriations in Congress approved last November 16 sixth district Representative Luis Gabriel Quisumbing's House Bill No. 3770, entitled "An Act Creating Three Additional Regional Trial Courts in Mandaue City.

"I filed this bill because of the clamor of lawyers and litigants alike for additional courts to handle the heavy caseload now raffled to our existing three regional trial courts in Mandaue City namely Branch 28, 55, and 56. 

The sheer volume of cases has become overwhelming for our trial courts.

Ordinary party-litigants, especially those from below-average income class, suffer damage due to the snail-paced judicial process.

A resetting or postponement of the hearing of their cases would mean that the litigants have to wait at least four to six months before they are given another schedule in the court calendar," Quisumbing said.

He said that with the creation of additional trial courts, there will be an efficient justice system for the speedy delivery of justice and the preservation of law and order.

The committee is now set to submit its report before the plenary and hopefully it will be approved by Congress and transmitted to the senate before the year ends.

"With this development, we will work closely with the Senate Committee on Justice to schedule its hearing and I am confident that our legislators will see the merit of our bill and pass HB 3770 into law," Quisumbing said. (FREEMAN)