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By Angelo S. Samonte, Reporter
President Gloria Arroyo signed Tuesday a
memorandum of agreement creating the Judicial Executive Legislative
Advisory and Consultative Council (JELACC), which will pave the way
for greater cooperation among the three branches of
government—executive, legislative and judiciary—to strengthen
the rule of law.
During the signing, President Arroyo said the
“separation [of powers] does not mean isolation . . . There should
be consultation and a venue where the three branches can identify
issues pertaining to the rule of law.”
“We envision JELACC to be the venue where
representatives of the three branches can identify issues pertaining
to the primacy of the rule of law, and formulate and undertake
solutions to strengthen due process and the institutions of justice,
and implement our laws better for the betterment of every
Filipino,” Mrs. Arroyo said.
Chief Justice Reynato Puno, Senate President
Manuel Vilar, Speaker Prospero Nograles were among the signatories
to the agreement.
Witnessing the signing were Vice President Noli
de Castro, Senator Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan, and House
Majority Floor Leader Arthur Defensor.
Increase budget of judiciary
After attending the first JELACC meeting, the
officials told reporters that all of them have agreed to push for an
increase of the judiciary’s budget by as much as 20 percent for
2009. They said this move will help speed up the resolution of many
pending court cases.
The officials also defended their decision to
accept the invitation of
President Arroyo to join the JELACC, saying it
does not mean they will now be co-opted by the executive branch.
Villar said JELACC will prioritize the judiciary
by increasing its budget. “It was proposed by Senator Pangilinan
to raise the budget of the judiciary. There must be cooperation to
address human rights and ensure that there is justice in our
country. This requires coordination among the three branches of our
government,” he said.
While they will start focusing on the budget of
the judiciary, Villar said they plan to assign magistrates in areas
lacking justices and prosecutors.
For his part, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez
said JELACC will address the issues of press freedom and political
killings in the country.
“These should be dissected and analyzed by the
JELACC. Maybe it will mean codifying again some laws affecting the
judicial system. Or archive laws which should no longer be
effective. Some of our laws are outdated,” he said.
He added that with the three branches of
government having representatives at JELACC, it will be easier to
coordinate efforts for dialogues to find solutions.
“This process will give us inputs, and agree
on common approaches for the greater interests of our people,”
Gonzalez said.
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