A judge’s decision to inhibit from handling the Ampatuan case is a proof that “the government has created its own monster that even members of the judiciary have now become afraid,” said Bro. Eddie Villanueva, presidential candidate of Bangon Pilipinas Party.

“Judges are supposed to be credible and unafraid to perform their duties. Judge Luisito Cortez might as well resign now that apparently he himself does not trust our own systems,” Bro. Eddie said.

The Ampatuan case was transferred from Cotabato City to Quezon City for “security reasons.” The case was then raffled among 21 regular courts out of the 42 Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) in Quezon City.

The raffle resulted in tasking Cortez’s court to handle the case. However, Cortez immediately filed a motion for inhibition citing the safety of his family and staff as reason.

“Cortez’s inhibition showcases an inept and irrelevant justice system that feeds on the government’s apparent own disregard for the rule of law,” Bro. Eddie added.

The absence of political will to address impunity combined with weak law enforcement would result in future repetitions of Cortez’s abandonment of duty, he said.

“Looking at the bigger picture, we cannot entirely blame Judge Cortez for inhibiting from handling the case against the Ampatuans for the safety of his family. What if his fears materialized?” Bro. Eddie said.

“Human rights advocates all over the world have consistently observed the deepening culture of impunity in the Philippines. In cases of extra-judicial killings alone, we could hardly recall any single perpetrator ever brought to justice,” Bro. Eddie said.

“And if we look at the bigger picture, RTC cases alone all over the country show a resignation in backlogs. The number of pending cases in RTCs has not improved since the beginning of this decade,” he explained.

The National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB) tallied a consistent backlog of cases in RTCs in the period 2000 to 2007 based on the data provided by the Supreme Court.

“This fact plus a weak law enforcement is enough to inflict a chilling effect on the public, including probably the bravest and most decent judges. We need an overhaul of the judicial and law and order systems to destroy the monster that this administration has created,” Bro. Eddie said.