SC welcomes PRRD signing of Judiciary Marshals law

MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) has welcomed President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s signing of a law that will create the Office of the Judiciary Marshals.

In a statement Thursday, Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said Republic Act No. 11691, or the Judiciary Marshals Act, will be a “great help” not only to the SC but to the entire judiciary, as well in ensuring an efficient and effective delivery of justice.

“Indeed, the creation of RA 11691 will not only secure, protect, and safeguard the judiciary but will also boost the morale of its members, officials, and personnel at this time when there is the concern of the threats to judges and killings of lawyers,” he said.

Gesmundo said the judiciary is one of the three pillars of republican democracy, which “itself hangs on a careful balance between and among governmental powers.”

“To threaten our judges and our lawyers is no less than an assault on the judiciary. To assault the judiciary is to shake the very bedrock on which the rule of law stands,” he added.

From 2016 to 2021, five lower court judges and one retired Court of Appeals (CA) magistrate were killed.

In February, Gesmundo met US Embassy in Manila Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Heather Variava to discuss the assistance of the US government in the operationalization of the Office of the Judicial Marshals, particularly in establishing a judicial marshals academy.

Variava reaffirmed the commitment and support of the US government to the Court’s judicial reform projects, as well as to the creation of the Office of the Judicial Marshals.