Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Date:

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

39
HOUSE BILL No. l _

Introduced by Honorable Joaquin M. Chipeco, Jr.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Under Section 16 of Article III of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution it is provided that “All persons shall have the right to a
speedy disposition of their cases before all judicial, quasi-judicial, or
administrative bodies.” However, due to perennial clogging of the court
dockets in our country, this constitutional right has become illusory
to many Filipinos.

For instance, the combined caseload of the five (5)
branches of the Regional Trial Court in the City of Calamba, Province
of Laguna is presently 4,301 cases, averaging 860 cases per sala. This
is a far cry from the ideal or manageable ratio of 300 cases for each
branch. On the basis of this ratio, at least nine (9) additional branches
of the court must be created in the near future for Calamba City to
head-off delays in the resolution of disputes from reaching critical
mass. The enactment of a law during the Fifteenth Congress creating
three (3) new courts in Calamba City only serves as a palliative to the
urgent need for the establishment of even more salas thereat. This
upward adjustment however, it must be noted, is a conservative
estimate, based only on the total caseload of the five branches at
present, discounting the annual rate of population growth in that city
which, even now, has been designated as a Regional Center.

While the Supreme Court continuously adopts judicial reforms
geared towards facilitating the caseflow in the various courts, the
same can only achieve so much in the matter of early resolution of
judicial controversies. In the meantime, government must increase the
number of courts if it were to improve the administration of justice in
our country.

It must always be remembered that justice is one of the basic
needs of man. It was Gladstone who taught us that “justice delayed is
justice denied.” On the other hand, the Earl of Mansfield insisted, “Let
justice be done, though the heavens fall.”

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
RECEIVED

NAN 9

ara a
BY:

REGISTRATION UNIT
BILLS AND INDEX SERVICE

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In view of the foregoing, the early approval of this bill is most
earnestly sought.

IN M. CHIPECO, JR.
sentative
‘econd District of Laguna


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

1
HOUSE BILL NO. 992

Introduced by Honorable Joaquin M. Chipeco, Jr.

AN ACT

CREATING THREE (3) ADDITIONAL BRANCHES OF THE
REGIONAL TRIAL COURT IN THE PROVINCE OF LAGUNA
TO BE STATIONED AT THE CITY OF CALAMBA, AMENDING
FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION 14, PARAGRAPH (E) OF BATAS
PAMBANSA BLG. 129, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS “THE
JUDICIARY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1980”, AS AMENDED,
AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1 Three (3) additional Regional Trial Court
branches for Calamba City, with seat thereat, are hereby created in the

Fourth Judicial Region

SEC. 2. The Supreme Court shall assign the branch number for

the newly created branches.

SEC. 3 The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, in
coordination with the Secretary of the Department of Justice, shall
immediately include in the Court's program the implementation of this
Act. The funding therefor shall likewise be included in the annual

General Appropriations Act. The funds necessary for the operation of the



courts herein created shall be appropriated and released only upon the

actual organization of the courts and the appointment of its personnel

SEC. 4 Section 14 (e) of Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, otherwise
known as “The Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980”, as amended, as
well as other provisions that may be inconsistent herewith, are hereby

deemed repealed, modified and/or further amended.
SEC. 5. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after
completion of its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2)

newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,