Senate passes bill to expedite gov’t corruption cases

Hidden transactions and rampant corruption. ShutterStock image

MANILA -– The Senate on Monday passed on third and final reading a bill amending the Sandiganbayan Law to speed up disposition of corruption cases against erring government officials and employees.

A total of 20 senators cast affirmative votes with no negative vote and three abstentions from Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr.

for Senate Bill No. 2138.

Senate President Franklin M. Drilon, author and co-sponsor of the bill, said the amendments will address the limitations encountered by the Sandiganbayan, “which is supposed to be the front-runner in the fight against corruption.”

He noted that the Sandiganbayan Law or Presidential Decree No. 1606 last underwent legislative scrutiny almost 20 years ago.

“The result is that a case in the Sandiganbayan now takes about an average of five to eight years to litigate and resolve,” Drilon said.

Drilon said justice continues to be as elusive as it has been during the infancy of the Philippine Republic despite numerous advancements incorporated in the judicial system through the years.

“If we are to outrun graft and corruption, it is imperative that we resuscitate and recondition our existing prosecutorial and adjudicatory institutions against this opponent,” Drilon said.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, chair of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights and sponsor of the bill, said the Sandiganbayan Law amendments are expected to strengthen the country’s anti-graft court’s structure and decongest cases.

“The capacity of this court to decide cases efficiently and promptly has been stretched beyond its limits,” Pimentel said.

Under the bill, the jurisdiction of “minor” cases will be transferred to the regional trial courts (RTC) which will enable the Sandiganbayan to “concentrate its resources on resolving the most significant cases filed against public officials” and be able to “render judgment in a matter of months.”

Drilon noted that during the last quarter of 2013, about 60 percent of the total cases in the Sandiganbayan are considered “minor” or allegations of damages or bribes not exceeding P1,000,000.

Another concept introduced in the bill, Pimentel said, is the “justice-designate” concept, wherein the chairperson of a division will “designate a member to hear and receive evidence and resolve all incidents arising therefrom from that day” and allow session to be held upon the attendance of two members of the division instead of the required three.

Under the bill, the concurrence of two justices is enough to “render a ruling on a formal or written motion and a judgment or final order.”

Currently, Section 5 of the Sandiganbayan Law requires the unanimous vote of all three members for the rendition of final order and failure to reach unanimity will require a special division that takes about four months to establish.

With the reforms to be enabled by the bill, Pimentel and Drilon both underscored the importance of such developments to the national justice system will be to ongoing efforts on arresting corruption and rooting out malfeasance from public service.

The latest records showed that 2,862 cases in Sandiganbayan remains to be resolved.