Bayanihan para sa katarungan

Last month, we celebrated the results of EU-GOJUST, the European Union’s support to the justice sector in the Philippines, a program that has worked hand-in-hand with the justice sector’s institutions, with civil society organizations, and with communities on the ground, for the last four years.

As the current phase of EU-GOJUST winds down and a new phase of EU-GOJUST starts, I would like to share a reflection and look into the future of our partnership with the justice sector.

The European Union’s engagement in the justice sector in the Philippines stems from our mandate to contribute to democracy, the rule of law, and the promotion and protection of human rights, which are all values enshrined in our founding acts, and in particular in the Treaty of the European Union. Our partnership with the Philippines in the justice sector is Philippine-led: the EU supports the Philippines on issues that its authorities deem key for the country’s sustainable development, and which are in line with the EU’s own values and global objectives.

Efficient and fair justice provision and equal access to justice by all are fundamental for the well-being of the population. Public trust in the justice system is essential for upholding the rule of law and maintaining social order, which are also conducive to socio-economic prosperity and investment decisions.

A significant part of EU-GOJUST work has been with the sector’s institutions, supporting their efforts to make justice more efficient through improved coordination, rationalization processes, and through the automation and digitization of systems.

We have accompanied the increased coordination of the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, centrally, and at the local level with the creation “Justice Zones.” Justice Zones are cities in which justice sector agencies’ officials address justice issues jointly, and are testament to the focus on making justice more accessible to people by working together on the public side. This is for example the case of the newly set up justice zone in Cagayan de Oro, Ozamiz City and Iligan City; three cities that are joining efforts to combat online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

EU-GOJUST has supported other reforms that have the potential to improve significantly the efficiency of the justice system. One example is the decentralization of court administration functions to the regional level with the creation of regional court management offices. The Strategic Program for Judicial Innovation, or SPJI, is the brainchild of Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo and part of the Supreme Court’s own reform drive. This initiative should free judges throughout the country from administrative work and allow them to focus on adjudication. This is crucial, because, as the legal maxim goes: justice delayed is justice denied.

The processes EU-GOJUST has supported are already creating synergies and bearing their first fruits. Two stand out as representing initial triumphs over two central plights of the system: jail and court congestion. Over 25,000 eligible Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) were released through jail decongestion initiatives since 2023. Processes like the digitalization of the Bureau of Corrections headquarters’ inmate’s paper records –the so-called “Carpetas”– which was carried out with our program’s support. At the same time, and together with the impact of the Department of Justice’s directives on better case build up, improved coordination has already allowed some justice zones to make strides in decongesting justice dockets. Like Bataan, for example, which, in two years has reduced the number of cases pending in their courts by 68 percent.

Many of these changes owe to the sustained collaboration between government agencies, civil society organizations, the academe, and communities. Reforming Justice requires a collective effort, a shared commitment to systemic change. I was able to witness first hand this kind of work recently during a visit to the Cebu City Jail, where we supported Humanity Behind Bars, a local initiative bringing together the Integrated Bar of the Philippines’ Cebu City chapter, the University of San Carlos and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. Humanity Behind Bars provides legal aid in four jails to help identify inmates who are eligible for release. This initiative also trains PDLs as paralegals. People like Brenda, who, now out of jail, continues to volunteer her time to assist their fellow inmates with the follow up of their cases.

The ultimate focus of our work is to help bring access to justice to all, especially to those living in vulnerable conditions. To achieve this, many communities throughout the country have also been empowered by legal aid efforts funded under EU-GOJUST. The Manobo Apao descendants in Mt. Apo, for example, received basic legal training from the University of South Eastern Philippines in Davao. Aware of the extent of their rights over their ancestral domain and of the legal remedies at their disposal, this community is now better equipped to deal with companies that approach them to use their land.

While there are successes to celebrate, the sector still faces challenges. The EU has committed to a new phase of EU-GOJUST which will contribute to the collective effort of the Philippine’s justice actors to make timely access to justice a reality for all in this country, including those who cannot afford legal representation. Borrowing the motto of the Justice Sector Coordinating Council – the coordinating instance bringing together the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior and Local Government: Bayanihan para sa Katarungan!

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Massimo Santoro is the Ambassador of the European Union to the Philippines.