FILE PHOTO: Senator Robinhood Padilla. Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Robinhood Padilla has filed a bill calling for the establishment of additional Shari’ah Judicial Districts, stations for the district courts, and circuit courts in the Philippines.
According to Padilla, more Shari’ah courts in the country will “ensure that our Muslim brothers and sisters across the archipelago will have better access to the specialized knowledge and expertise of Shari’a judges, promoting fair and equal treatment of Muslims under the law, regardless of their geographic location.”
He noted in a statement Saturday that Muslim Filipinos “continue to relocate across the country in search of better opportunities.”
Padilla’s Senate Bill No. 2215 seeks to amend the Code of Muslim Laws.
Specifically, the measure would add three Shari’ah districts to the country’s existing five: the sixth for Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Camiguin, Cagayan de Oro City, and provinces in Regions XI and XIII; the seventh for provinces within Regions VI, VII, VIII and Mimaropa; and the eighth for provinces within Metro Manila, Cordillera, and Regions I, II, III, IV-A, and V.
The bill also proposed that permanent stations for the sixth, seventh, and eighth districts be established in Davao City, Cebu City, and Manila City, respectively.
It likewise suggested the establishment of an additional 11 Shari’ah Circuit Courts: five courts in and for Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Camiguin, Cagayan de Oro City and provinces in Regions XI and XIII; two in and for provinces within Regions VI, VII, VIII and Mimaropa; and four in and for provinces within Metro Manila, Cordillera, and Regions I, II, III, IV-A, and V.
Shari’ah is the legal practice derived from the Qur-an which governs Muslim life. To date, there are nearly 8 million Muslim Filipinos in the country, according to the World Population Review.
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