By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Underscoring the need to make legal services available and more inclusive even in the farthest reaches of the country, the government continues to make inroads in addressing the shortage of facilities that hamper the delivery of judicial services especially among island provinces.
This, as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. spearheaded the inauguration and turnover ceremony of the Sulu Hall of Justice at the Sulu Provincial Capitol, Jolo town on Tuesday.
The President hailed the opening of the new facility as a significant milestone in the administration’s thrust towards promoting lasting peace by bringing justice within reach of Muslim brothers and sisters, who have long yearned for a timely and effective resolution without wasting valuable time, money, and resources.
“It makes the justice system more accessible to our people, providing a place where their rights can be upheld, their grievances heard, and their disputes resolved under the rule of law.”
Apart from the Sulu Hall of Justice, other justice-related initiatives were also brought in over the past few months to better serve the needs of the region, which include the following:
- Launch of Katarungan Office in Zamboanga City in July 2026
- Adoption of electronic and regionalized bar examinations as the standard for admission to the legal profession
- Rollout of e-Court 2.0 and Unified Case Management System
- Adoption of Governance Framework on the Use of Human-Centered Augmented Intelligence
President Marcos Jr. also shared how the establishment of the first trafficking-free Justice Zone in Zamboanga City in 2023 helped in decongesting prisons, resolving case backlogs, and streamlining delivery of justice-related services.
He also welcomed the recent implementation of digital notarization by the Supreme Court, which he touts as a milestone in the digitalization of government services.
At this juncture, the President said that these efforts extend beyond courts to include strengthening health and education systems that will benefit Filipinos from all walks of life.
The Chief Executive assured Sulu residents, “Patuloy tayong magtutulungan upang maging maayos ang transisyon, mapangalagaan ang kapakanan ng ating mga kawani, at higit sa lahat, masiguro na walang serbisyong mapuputol at walang mamamayang maiiwanan.”
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