Regional Trial Court (Quezon, Province of Bukidnon)

Office of the secretary TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session 25 NOV 19 P1:31 SENATE RECEIVED BY: S.B. No. 1543 Introduced by Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri AN ACT CREATING ONE (1) ADDITIONAL BRANCH OF THE REGIONAL TRIAL COURT IN THE 10TH JUDICIAL REGION TO BE STATIONED IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF QUEZON, PROVINCE OF BUKIDNON, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION 14 (K) OF BATAS PAMBANSA BlG. 129, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "THE JUDICIARY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1980" AS AMENDED EXPLANATORY NOTE The Province of Bukidnon, with a 2020 population of approximately 1.541 million, currently operates only ten (10) organized Regional Trial Court (RTC) branches, stationed in Malaybalay City, Maramag, Don Carlos, the Municipality of Manolo Fortich, and Valencia City. This translates to an estimated ratio of one RTC branch for every 150,000 individuals. While the Municipality of Quezon is geographically proximate to the RTC branches located in Valencia City (population: approximately 216,000) and Maramag (population: about 108,000), these courts serving a combined population of over 324,000 are already operating beyond capacity. This figure does not even account for the additional caseload spillovers originating from nearby municipalities such as Don Carlos, Kitaotao, and Quezon itself. Given these population figures and the steady rise in criminal, civil, and land- related disputes across the province, the current RTC branches in Valencia and Maramag are no longer sufficient to address the growing demand for judicial services. Docket congestion persists, resulting in delays in case disposition and prolonged litigation for litigants seeking redress. The establishment of an additional RTC branch in the Tenth Judicial Region, to be stationed will therefore the Municipality of Quezon, Bukidnon, significantly decongest the existing courts in nearby localities. More importantly, it will bring the administration of justice closer to underserved communities in the southern corridor of the province. Finally, this measure is anchored on the constitutional mandate under Section 11, Article III of the 1987 Constitution, which guarantees that "free access to the courts and quasi-judicial bodies and adequate legal assistance shall not be denied to any person by reason of poverty. "The creation of an additional RTC branch in Quezon, Bukidnon, affirms the State's commitment to ensuring access to justice for all Filipinos, regardless of their socio-economic status or geographical location.

Thus, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. JUAN MIGUEL "MIGZ" F. ZUBIRI Senator

TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE Office of the Sermary } REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session 25 NOV 19 P1: SENATE RECEIVED BY: S.B. No. 1543 Introduced by Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri AN ACT CREATING ONE (1) ADDITIONAL BRANCH OF THE REGIONAL TRIAL COURT IN THE 10TH JUDICIAL REGION TO BE STATIONED IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF QUEZON, PROVINCE OF BUKIDNON, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION 14(K) OF BATAS PAMBANSA BLG. 129, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "THE JUDICIARY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1980' AS AMENDED Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SEC. 1. One (1) additional branch of the Regional Trial Court in the Tenth Judicial

Region is hereby created and stationed in the Municipality of Quezon, Province of Bukidnon. 4 The Supreme Court shall assign the branch number for the newly created branch of the 5 Regional Trial Court.

SEC. 2. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, in coordination with the Secretary

7 of the Department of Justice, shall immediately include in the Court's program the operationalization of one (1) additional branch of the Regional Trial Court in the Municipality of Quezon, Province of Bukidnon. The Supreme Court shall issue the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act and, if warranted, the realignment of seats of existing branches and their territorial jurisdiction.

SEC. 3. The funds necessary for the implementation of this Act, including

appropriations for personnel services such as salaries, benefits and emoluments for the judge and court personnel, court operations under maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), and provisions for Hall of Justice or courtroom to accommodate the judge and court staff, as well as funds necessary for the implementation of automatically-

created prosecutor positions pursuant to Section 13 of Republic Act No. 10071 or the "Prosecution Service Act of 2010" and appointment of public attorneys pursuant to

Section 7 of Republic Act No. 9406 or the "Act Reorganizing and Strengthening the Public

Attorney's Office (PAO), resulting from the creation of this court, including appropriations for personnel services such as salaries, benefits, and emoluments for prosecutors, shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 4. Section 14 (K) of Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, otherwise known as "The

Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980", as amended, and all other laws, rules and regulations which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby amended, repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 5. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official

Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. Approved,