By Ben Rosario The House of Representatives has adopted the Senate version of the proposed “Judges-At-Large Act of 2018” which will create 150 new positions for judges who will be assigned to various courts to unclogged case dockets. (MANILA BULLETIN) With this move, House Bill No. 7309 and Senate Bill No. 2065 is deemed passed by the two legislative chambers, with the measure now ready to be enrolled for the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte. The House version of the bill consolidated proposed legislative measures filed by Reps. Lord Allan Jay Velasco (PDP-Laban, Marinduque) and Roy M. Loyola (PDP-Laban, Cavite). Velasco said the measure aims to address the worsening docket load in the Judiciary with the establishment of new positions for “roving” judges with no permanent salas. Velasco, son of retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Presbiterio Velasco, said judges-at-large may be temporarily assigned to court salas with records of the low disposition of cases.. “This proposal seeks to build trust and confidence in the judicial system. Since my father is a former justice of the Supreme Court, I know firsthand that our courts should be provided with innovative remedial measures that will speed up the judicial mill,” Velasco said. Under the bill, judges-at-large may not get permanent sala but may be detailed to any court in the country. Aside from the creation of 100 new Regional Trial Court judges posts, the proposal will also open 50 more positions of municipal trial judges-at-large. The bill provides all judges-at-large assigned to other courts a displacement allowance that will cover expenses for food, transportation and other necessary expenses incurred during their detail. Velasco noted that delays in the disposition of cases pending in court contradict the 1987 Constitution that provides that all persons “shall have the right to a speedy disposition of their cases before all judicial, quasi-judicial or administrative bodies.” “Precisely, the judiciary is under fire for the congested or clogged dockets of the lower courts. The clogged dockets of the courts cause a great delay in the disposition of cases,” stressed Velasco. He said the creation of judges-at-large positions provides the solution for the problem. “These judges shall have no permanent salas and can be detailed by the Supreme Court to any court in the Philippines, as public interest may require,” the senior administration solon explained.