Senate OKs proposed Judiciary Marshals Act

MANILA - The Senate on Monday passed a bill seeking to provide judiciary officials and their families with security under the authority of the Supreme Court.

Besides one abstention, no one in the legislative chamber opposed the passage of Senate Bill No. 1947 or the "Judiciary Marshals Act".

If enacted into law, SB 1947 will form an Office of Judiciary Marshals that will focus on security for judges, lawyers and court personnel.

Judiciary marshals will create threat assessment and launch investigations on crimes committed against judiciary officials and court properties.

The office will also have authority to investigate graft and corruption issues if members of judiciary are involved. It can arrest, conduct search raids, and confiscate properties according to Constitution.

It will be led by a Chief Marshal who will be appointed by the Supreme Court en banc. Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will each have a deputy marshal.

The office will have different divisions, such as the judicial protection division, investigation, forensic, and intelligence division, legal division, information and communications technology division.

The office will have a fund of P50 million.

According to a legal group last March, more lawyers have been killed during the administration so far of President Rodrigo Duterte than under previous presidents since dictator Ferdinand Marcos combined.

>>>https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/15/21/more-lawyers-killed-during-duterte-admin-than-under-previous-6-presidents-combined-study

Many of those killed were public interest lawyers, according to Human Rights Watch Asia Division senior researcher Carlos Conde.

—Report from Robert Mano, ABS-CBN News

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