Press Release
June 4, 2012

KIKO TO JBC: AMEND RULES TO ALLOW FOR JBC MEETINGS, DELIBERATIONS TO BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan urges the Judicial and Bar Council to take the lessons learned from the recently concluded impeachment process against former Chief Justice Renato Corona in implementing much-needed reforms in the Judiciary.

"There is an obvious need to institute necessary reforms in our justice system. The first step would be to make the processes transparent. We have seen how accountability has allowed the people to participate in governance and be involved in the change process. It has also put pressure to officials in disclosing their SALNs despite their invoking of the foreign currency act. The people are the crucial element in instituting reforms in government."

Pangilinan, a former member of the JBC and former Chairman of the Committee on Justice in the Senate, earlier called on the government to reconvene the Judicial Executive Legislative Advisory Consultative Council to aid in instituting reforms in the Judiciary, specifically budgetary assistance.

"The Judiciary receives only 1% of the national budget--that is unacceptable. We cannot hope to have a first-world system of justice with a third-world budgetary allocation. When the JELACC reconvenes, this matter may be tackled as well as mapping out long-term institutional reforms to address the languishing backlog of court cases and the many vacancies in our courts."

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