Manila – The Philippine Senate on Monday unanimously passed Senate Bill No. 2594, which aims to establish additional Shari'a Judicial Districts and Shari'a Circuit Courts across the country, significantly broadening the scope of Islamic judicial services.
According to Philippines News Agency, the bill was developed following discussions with Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo and officials from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in Cagayan de Oro City. "For those people who are not aware, right now, the Shari'a courts are only in the BARMM region. Since we have a lot of brother Muslims all over the Philippines, this increase will now give them an opportunity to hear their cases where they reside, whether it is in Northern Luzon, Central Visayas, or in other areas of Mindanao," Zubiri explained.
Currently, under Article 138 of Presidential Decree No. 1083, or the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines, there are five designated Shari'a Judicial Districts. Each district has one Shari'a District Court. If SB 2594 becomes law, it will create a sixth Shari'a Judicial District covering the provinces of Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Camiguin, and the cities of Cagayan de Oro, as well as provinces within Regions XI and XIII. Additionally, the seventh district will include the provinces within Regions VI, VII, and VIII, and the eighth district will cover the Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions I, II, III, IV-A, including the National Capital Region.
The proposed legislation also calls for the establishment of new Shari'a District Courts in Davao City, Cebu City, and Manila. Senator Francis Tolentino, the bill’s sponsor, highlighted that "Muslim Filipinos are now one step closer to having better access to the specialized knowledge and expertise of Shari'a judges promoting fair and equal treatment of Muslims under the law, with the goal of promoting inclusive, impartial, speedy, and quality justice to all regardless of the people's geographic location."
Senator Robinhood Padilla, who co-authored the bill, expressed his gratitude towards his colleagues and the Supreme Court for their contributions to the drafting of the measure.