MANILA – Rep. Paolo Duterte has filed a bill seeking to establish another division of the Court of Appeals (CA) in Mindanao to be stationed in Davao City.
Duterte said his proposed measure, House Bill (HB) 7895, is in pursuit of speedy disposition of cases, including the declogging of the CA divisions’ court dockets, and of increasing access to the CA services.
If enacted into law, the Court of Appeals in Davao City would have jurisdiction over cases originating from the 11th and 12th Judicial Regions.
The son of former President Rodrigo Duterte noted that despite government initiatives for a speedy disposition of cases, the CA’s court dockets remained unattended in three existing divisions in the cities of Manila, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro.
“The country is relatively behind in terms of its justice system despite its constitutional mandate to guarantee its citizens speedy disposition of cases before any judicial, quasi-judicial or administrative bodies,” Duterte said.
He said a number of initiatives have been made to declog court dockets, the most recent of which is Republic Act 11576 or the Judiciary Reorganization Act of 2021.
RA 11576 expanded the jurisdiction of first-level courts, hoping to eventually declog second-level courts, particularly the Regional Trial Courts. Efforts, however, remain inadequate.
The proposed Court of Appeals in Davao City shall be composed of three members, who shall be appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council. (PNA)
