The Supreme Court has officially notified Congress it does not oppose the move for more regional and municipal trial courts in Bacolod city, clearing the way for approval of the two bills seeking their creation.

Filed by Bacolod Rep. Evelio Leonardia, House Bills 2490 and 2491 are seeking three more RTCs and three more MTCCs for Bacolod.

Lawyer Thelma Baha, deputy court administrator, told the Committee on Justice during its hearing that tackled the bills, that the SC has no objection to the creation of the new courts.

In his sponsorship speech during the hearing held last week, Leonardia argued for more courts, pointing out the backlog of cases in the present courts.

As of June 31, 2013, the Bacolod solon said, there were 7,491 criminal and civil cases in the 14 RTCs which means an average spread of 535 cases for each court. A sampling from nine of these courts showed an average monthly disposal of 4 cases only, he added, or only 0.74 per cent disposal rate only for each court, which is less than one per cent. Theoretically, this means it will take each court about 11 years to dispose all of the cases it had as of 2013, he also said.

Leonardia further said that, in the case of the MTCCs, its monthly disposal rate is even lower, only 0.61 per cent. As of June last year, there were 4,563 cases in the city’s seven MTCCs, for a spread of 651 cases each.

Data from 6 of these courts last November showed an average disposal rate of only four cases a month, he added.

Aside from the load of cases, the solon also noted that the RTCs of Bacolod also serve as the appellate courts for MTCCs of Murcia and Talisay further loading them with more work.

Leonardia also cited the projected population increases for Bacolod, Talisay and Murcia, pointing out that these may also increase the number of cases that must be tackled by the RTCs and MTCCs.

Justice delayed is justice denied, the congressman said, pointing out that overloaded and overworked courts cannot be expected to expedite cases.*

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