SC asks Comelec anew to exempt judges from gun ban
“I urge [Comelec] Chairman and Justice (Jose) Melo and Justice (Lucenito) Tagle to have a second look at our application to exempt judges from the gun ban,” Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez said. Melo is a retired Supreme Court Justice while Tagle is a former Court of Appeals Justice.
Marquez heads the Supreme Court’s Office of the Court Administrator tasked with the supervision and administration of the lower courts and their personnel.
The office reports and recommends to the Supreme Court all actions that affect lower court management, personal and financial administration and administrative discipline. Complaints against judges and court personnel are also filed in this office.
Two regional trial court judges were attacked over the last two days.
On Tuesday night, the front of the house of Judge Leo Principe of Branch 1 of the Basilan regional trial court was bombed.
Principe had ordered the arrest of some 130 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf in 2007 for the killing of 14 Marines, 10 of whom were beheaded.
This Wednesday morning, an explosion destroyed the vehicle of Judge Silvino Pampilo Jr. of Branch 26 of the Manila regional trial court.
Pampilo previously ordered the abolition of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) and the opening of books of the “Big 3” oil companies. He also denied the plea of workers to stop the modernization of the North Harbor and handled the case of Silver Flores, accused of killing an activist upon orders of the military.
Marquez said early this year, he sent a request to the Commission on Elections asking for a gun ban exemption for judges.
“Initially, I submitted a list of 20 to 30 judges with confirmed threats,” Marquez said, adding that if not all the judges could be given exemption, at least exempt those with confirmed threats.
“Pero unang lista pa lang hindi na tayo napagbigyan [But we were denied on the first list],” Marquez said.
Marquez said he would send another letter to Melo and Tagle and reiterate their request for gun ban exemption.
“It is important that our judges be given exemption for their protection. It is not physically possible to provide protection, our judges have to have some protection,” Marquez said, especially with the upcoming elections.
The Municipal, Metropolitan and regional trial courts handles election protests of municipal and barangay (village) officials, as well as inclusion and exclusion of voters.
The RTC, on the other hand, has exclusive original jurisdiction to try and decide any criminal action or proceedings for violation of the Omnibus election Code, except those relating to the offense of failure to register or failure to vote which shall be under the jurisdiction of the metropolitan or municipal trial courts.
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