A COMMITTEE at the House of Representatives approved Wednesday, February 5, measures seeking to establish at least 24 new Regional Trial Court (RTC) branches in the Philippines.

The Committee on Appropriations chaired by Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab approved the funding provisions in House Bills (HB) 2668, 2523, 2423, 2698, 2510, 2882, 2655, and 2945.

Under the said bills, there will be eight additional RTC branches in the National Capital Region (NCR); five in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental; four in the municipalities of Rosario and San Juan, Batangas; two in Zamboanga del Norte; two in Daet and Labo, Camarines Norte; and one each in La Paz, Abra and Moalboal, Cebu.

In an interview with Sunstar Philippines, Negros Occidental 3rd District Representative Francis “Kiko” Benitez, who also authored HB 2510, stressed the importance of decongesting trial courts in Silay City in Negros Occidental.

“We hope it helps declog the docket and cases of the two RTCs in Silay and to address the cases in Victorias,” Benitez said.

In his explanatory note, Benitez said that clogging of court dockets “hampers the delivery of justice”.

Other causes of congestion are heavy inflow of cases, lack of judges, and deployment of regular judges as assisting or acting judges. (SunStar Philippines)