THE JUDICIARY is one of the three separate, co-equal and independent branches of government. It is important that the public understands how it is composed.
The executive branch is led by the president; the legislative branch is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives; and the judicial branch is composed of courts, of which the Supreme Court is the highest.
The role of the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court, is crucial in the operation of the government that rules our lives, since it ensures that the rule of law is effective. Its members interpret the laws and are the final guardians of the rights of citizens to protect them from any abuse from the other two branches. It also interprets the Constitution and has the final say in all legal disputes.
It also has executive power to create courts for special needs to serve the people effectively. According to the Constitution, Supreme Court justices “are required to have proven competence, integrity, probity and independence; must have at least 15 years of experience in a lower court; and be at least 40 years old and can serve until they are 70 years of age.”
The justices are appointed by the president from a list of nominees submitted by the Philippine Judicial and Bar Council.
The honorable justices of the Supreme Court deserve our utmost respect. They are Filipinos’ first and last hope in safeguarding their rights, dignity and freedoms from illegal detention, harassment or abuse of any kind from the other branches. They alone can see to it that justice is delivered to the people, especially the poorest and most vulnerable in society: the children.
Incumbent members of the Supreme Court are Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo; Senior Associate Justice Marvic Mario Victor Leonen; and Associate Justices Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, Ramon Paul Hernando, Amy Lazaro-Javier, Henri Jean Paul Inting, Rodil Zalameda, Samuel Gaerlan, Ricardo Rosario, Jhosep Lopez, Japar Dimaampao, Jose Midas Marquez, Antonio Kho Jr., Maria Filomena Singh, and Raul Villanueva.
The court administrator is Maria Theresa Dolores Gomez-Estoesta, who keeps everything going. She served as an associate justice of the Sandiganbayan, the country’s anti-graft court.
In its wisdom, the Supreme Court has already established independent special courts, such as the Sandiganbayan, the Court of Tax Appeals, and shari’a district and circuit courts. It has also created specialized divisions of regional trial courts (RTCs), such as family courts, special commercial courts, drug courts, and environmental courts.
Now the only court that it needs to establish is a special children’s court that would deal with child abuse cases with haste. The children involved in these cases have bravely come forward at great risk and filed complaints against their rapists and traffickers.
They are children suffering and seeking justice through the courts. They are children who have been raped, sexually assaulted or trafficked by relatives or other people in their community. Their abusers and associates, as well as unsupportive relatives who have ascendancy over the children, threaten or bully them into withdrawing their complaints or send them away to keep them from testifying. (To be continued)/PN
