The Supreme Court (SC) has pressed Congress anew for the passage of a law that would create the Philippine Judiciary Marshal Service (PJMS) to protect judiciary members who have been targets of violent crimes.
The plea was reiterated on Friday, Jan. 29, by Associate Justice Marvic Mario Victor F. Leonen during a press conference hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP).
"We are hoping that sooner or later Congress passes the bill, that I think we have supported, to create judicial marshals in order to expand our capability to internally protect the judges that we have on field," Leonen said.
Expressing confidence on the enactment of the law on PJMS, Leonen said: “We are looking at an early approval if many of the statements made by our senators and members of the House are to be taken into consideration."
As envisioned by the bills’ proponents in Congress, the PJMS would be an independent, professional, and organized security force that would protect and defend judges, justices, and court officials and employees against any form of threats and violence.
Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta has been pleading the legislators for the passage of the PJMS.
“We really need our Judiciary Marshal Service because the Supreme Court (SC) cannot give the adequate security,” Peralta said.
“An attack on our judges is an assault on the Rule of Law. This has no place in a civilized society like ours,” Peralta stressed in his online meeting with journalists in October last year.
Published reports stated that since 1999 more than 30 trial court judges have been killed and since 2016 a total of 54 lawyers have been slain.
Two weeks ago, Peralta said the SC has been coordinating with various government agencies, particularly the Department of Justice (DOJ) and law enforcement agencies, in the investigation and prosecution of the killings of judges and lawyers in the country.
He said Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez and other officials have had several meetings with the DOJ, the Department of National Defense (DND), the Department of Interior and Local Governments (DILG), the Commission on Human Rights, law enforcement agencies, and lawyers’ organizations on the issue of killings of lawyers and judges.
Marquez has been directed to submit a full report with recommendations to address the killings.
On the part of the DOJ, Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said his department has been closely monitoring the cases concerning slain lawyers, prosecutors, and judges.
He said the DOJ “will come up with an inventory of cases under investigation by the NBI, under preliminary investigation by the prosecution service, and undergoing trial in courts for the purpose of monitoring closely their progress.”
He also said the monitoring of cases and other issues “such as providing greater protection to law practitioners, prosecutors and judges will be tackled in subsequent joint activities with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).”