How to speed up justice? Abante seeks guidance from Supreme Court
At A Glance
- Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. is asking the Supreme Court (SC) to recommend to Congress the appropriate measures that it can pursue to expedite the delivery of justice in the country.
Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr (PPAB)
Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. is asking the Supreme Court (SC) to recommend to Congress the appropriate measures that it can pursue to expedite the delivery of justice in the country.
Abante, chairman of the House Committee on Human Rights, points out that the Philippines is experiencing a “collective national amnesia” in seeking justice due to the persisting delays and inefficiency in the justice system.
“The wheels of justice turn too slowly in our country,” he stressed in a statement on Thursday, Oct. 31.
With the upcoming Undas (All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day), Abante reminded the public to offer prayers for comfort and justice for the families of hazing victims whose cases have not yet resulted in the final conviction of their murderers.
He also urged people to remember the thousands of victims of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) because “their killers and the masterminds of the brutal war on drugs have not yet been arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and incarcerated for their heinous crimes”.
Abante is a co-chairman in the House quad-committee (quad-comm), a joint panel investigating the EJKs during the Duterte administration’s bloody anti-drug campaign.
“For these reasons, I ask the [SC] to recommend to Congress the enactment of laws that will set fair and reasonable deadlines on criminal cases, to uphold the right of victims to speedy justice,” he said.
The veteran lawmaker emphasized that the right to due process is being abused at the expense of the victims.
“This is why we seek the guidance of the [SC] on this matter. We seek fairness and balance,” he added.