The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday said it welcomes the measure seeking the creation of special courts that will handle cases of police officers accused of abusive acts.
“Any case that has been filed in court is a different story. Promulgation of court decisions involving PNP personnel may take longer since they are calendared along with a load of cases that the trial courts are handling,” PNP chief, Gen. Dionardo Carlos said in a statement.
The Senate’s Human Rights and Justice, Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, and Finance committees on Thursday submitted Senate Bill 2331 or the proposed Police Courts Act to the plenary for proper scrutiny.
In his sponsorship speech, Senator Richard Gordon emphasized the importance of having a mechanism to hold erring PNP members accountable through the passage of the measure, as he described that it will uphold accountability “as the hallmark of modern democratic governance”.
Under the bill, the Supreme Court (SC) will designate a police court from the municipal or regional trial courts.
These courts will hear criminal and administrative cases confronting a police respondent based on his supposed actions that may include violation of rules of engagement and police protocol, except if an anti-graft case warrants the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan.
The SC will also delegate a division at the Court of Appeals, if ever cases will be elevated.
“At this point, we can’t comment on the provisions of this proposed legislation because nothing is final yet. But we are for swift justice. Anything that intends to fast-track the judicial process for the benefit of the parties involved is a welcome development,” Carlos said.
Based on the latest data from the SC, there are around 398 pending criminal cases involving police officers as defendants as of June last year.
Source: Philippines News Agency
