Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta on Monday laid down a 10-point reform program to further strengthen the judiciary, including the creation of a security team patterned after the United States Marshal Service to protect the justices and judges in the country.
In his speech during Monday’s flag-raising ceremony, Peralta urged his colleagues, officials and employees to unite and follow the rule of law.
“I have other numerous plans for the judiciary, especially as regards the strengthening of the employees’ sense of self worth so that each employee in the judiciary will take pride in saying that he/she is a public servant in the judiciary,” Peralta said.
He said one of his concerns was the many incidents of killings involving justices and judges which, he said, could be addressed by creating a security team.
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“We hope that we can device the system either through legislation or through court initiative the creation of a security system patterned after the US Marshals,” Peralta said.
The US Marshals Service’s Judicial Security Division protects federal judges, jurors and other members of the judiciary.
One of the programs of the JDS is the National Center for Judicial Security and one of its functions is to provide protection to the judicial family.
Reports showed that since 1999 30 judges have been killed in the Philippines.
Peralta, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as the 26th chief justice of the Supreme Court on Oct. 23, promised to be a public servant who would lead by example.
Peralta, who is an advocate of the speedy disposition of cases in the judiciary, said the high court and all other courts should work toward eliminating case backlogs.
“The clerk of court will be required to conduct a periodic inventory of all the cases pending in their divisions and consult with the court en banc as to how to solve the issue of backlogs and other concerns,” Peralta said.
He said all other courts were expected to continue to comply with the rules and guidelines on the prescribed periods for trial dates.
“I plan to impose time lines in resolving administrative complaints, including the complaints initiated by the court and time lines for the court to resolve the complaints,” Peralta said.
To eliminate the “hoodlums in robes,” Peralta said, he plans to adopt a system where the court may initiate the investigation of cases being handled by members of the judiciary even if there was no complaint.
