Senate passes bills creating 70 regional courts on 2nd reading

MANILA, Philippines –Two Senate Bills and 21 House Bills seeking to create 70 additional regional trial courts (RTCs) and nine municipal trial courts were passed on second reading on Wednesday evening.

Approved were House Bills 4471, 4472, 4469, 4473, 4474, 4475, 4476, 4479, 4489, 4490, 4491, 4492, 4493, 4494, 4495, 4497, 4511, 4513, 4521, 4522, 4744 and Senate Bills. 2958 and 2539. The passing of the bills came on the last day of session before the Senate ‘s sine die adjournment.

The bills which were sponsored by Senator Francis Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, seeks to amend section 14 of the “Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980,” and focuses on the establishment of RTCs.

If ratified, additional RTCs will be created in the provinces of Romblon, Cavite, Davao, Kalinga, Leyte, Iloilo, Surigao del Sur, Laguna, Negros Occidental, Palawan, Misamis Oriental, Zamboanga, Cebu, Compostela Valley, Batangas and Aurora, Escudero said.

There are also plans of creating RTCs in the cities of Navotas, Valenzuela and Muntinlupa in the furture, Escudero said. He added that creating new RTCs will help ease the backlog of pending cases.