Amid negative public sentiments about the government’s capacity to hold corrupt officials accountable, Senator Kiko Pangilinan revealed plans to propose a measure that would create a congressional commission to review and address the gaps in the Philippines’ justice system.
Pangilinan lamented the low conviction rate of criminal cases in the country, and pointed out the shortcomings of the judiciary in convicting government officials found to have squandered taxpayers’ money.
“We are filing a Judiciary Congressional Commission on the State of the Philippine Justice System. Parang EDCOM II,” the veteran legislator told journalist Karen Davila on ANC’s “Headstart.”
The chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights was referring to the Second Congressional Commission on Education, which was tasked to undertake a comprehensive national assessment of the country’s education sector.
“Unless we punish more and we punish swiftly, ‘yung respeto sa ating mga batas ay magiging voluntary.”
“Ultimately—and I said this because I will be defending the judiciary budget— unless we punish more and we punish swiftly, ‘yung respeto sa ating mga batas ay magiging voluntary,” the seasoned lawmaker said.
“That’s one step that the legislative branch can do. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, we will sponsor that measure so that we have a Congressional Commission on the State of the Philippine Justice System,” the senator added.
“The judiciary only has a 47% conviction rate, compared to 90% in Japan and more than 80% in Hong Kong.”
The judiciary, he noted, only has a 47% conviction rate, compared to 90% in Japan and more than 80% in Hong Kong. The Sandiganbayan also has approximately 5,000 unserved arrest warrants, with some cases remaining unresolved even after 40 years have passed.
The average life of a case before it is resolved is four years, which Pangilinan pointed out is “too long”.
“So sa akin, sabi ko nga, the judiciary would have to embrace that they have unwittingly and by default, they have helped create the impunity that’s happening in the country, and therefore, should take stock,” he added.
“These are what we have to do to punish more and to punish swiftly para matakot ang tao. Ngayon kasi ay wala naman nakukulong. Nakakalungkot pero dapat talaga ‘yan ang pupuntiryahin natin dito,” Pangilinan said.
