Duterte noted that among the pertinent problems in our country is the slow justice system due to clogged court dockets.
House Bill No. 3272, which aims to create three additional branches of MTCCs in the 11th Judicial Region to be stationed here has already been approved at the committee level of the Lower House.
There have been several attempts made to declog court dockets, the most significant of which is Republic Act No. 11576 or the Judiciary Reorganization Act of 2021, which expanded the jurisdiction of first-level courts.
The said legislation will eventually declog second-level courts, particularly the Regional Trial Courts, according to the legislator.
“In response to this judicial innovation, there is an immediate need to increase the number of first-level courts such as Metropolitan Trial Court (MeTC), MTCC, Municipal Trial Courts (MTC), and the Municipal Circuit Trial Courts (MCTC),” he said.
Currently, there are only seven existing MTCC branches in the city. But among these branches, only four are being regularly raffled with cases since one branch is functioning as an Environmental Court, another is with a presiding judge functioning as Executive Judge with additional administrative duties and obligations, and one branch is temporarily held in abeyance as its caseload had reached 1,500.
This year, roughly 6,693 cases are designated to the existing branches, excluding two, which are on lockdown.
Duterte said the number is expected to increase considering the expansion in the threshold amount of small cases to P1,000,000.00.
In case the bill will be approved by the lower and upper houses the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, in coordination with the Secretary of the Department of Justice, would immediately include in the Court’s program the immediate implementation of the Act.
The Constitution grants that all persons shall have the right to a speedy disposition of their cases before all judicial, quasi-judicial, or administrative bodies, Duterte said.