The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill creating the Office of the Judiciary Marshals under the Supreme Court to secure and protect the members, officials, personnel, and property of the Judiciary.
Senate Bill 1947 or the proposed Judiciary Marshals Act was approved with 21 affirmative votes, no negative vote, and one abstention.
Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa abstained from voting on the measure.
SB 1947 seeks to create judiciary marshals who will be primarily responsible for the security, safety, and protection of the members, officials, personnel, and property of the judiciary, including the integrity of the courts and their proceedings.
Its creation aims to counter attacks against judges, lawyers, and other court personnel.
The judiciary marshals will also be tasked to conduct threat assessments and launch investigations on crimes and other offenses committed against judiciary employees and court property.
The bill likewise allows them to undertake probes on allegations of irregularities, including graft and corruption, committed by members of the legal profession.
According to Senator Richard Gordon, the sponsor of the bill, the proposed office would be headed by a chief marshal, who will be appointed by the SC, and would be assisted by three deputy marshals to be assigned in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
If enacted, the bill would get an initial funding of P50 million, which would cover the salaries and other expenses of personnel, as well as the purchase of necessary supplies and equipment, among others.
Since 1999, Gordon said 34 judges have already been killed and only 10 percent of the killings have been solved.
As of July 26, 2021, Gordon said 157 lawyers, judges, and court personnel have already been killed. Sixty-three of them were killed under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“This will send a strong message that you cannot just kill a judge. We must work together to ensure that our judicial system operates in a safe environment. Judges, witnesses, court personnel, and law enforcement must not have to face threats of violence when carrying out their duties,” the lawmaker said in a statement.
“These protections are crucial to the preservation of the independence of our judiciary so that it can continue to serve as a bulwark protecting individual rights and liberty,” he added. — DVM, GMA News
Senate approves bill creating judiciary marshals
Source: Pinoy Hub News
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