U.S. ANNOUNCED AID AND SUPPORT FOR RP JUDICIAL REFORMS

MANILA, OCTOBER 17, 2003  (STAR) The United States through its Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced its support for judicial reforms in the Philippines through an 18-month program that will begin next month.

The USAID, in partnership with the Asia Law Initiative of the American Bar Association (ABA), will work with the Philippine Supreme Court, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the University of the Philippines Law Faculty in improving many areas of the judiciary.

This includes legal training for young Filipino lawyers and facilitating discussions on ethical issues in the Philippine bar and legal issues on terrorism.

The ABA has also agreed to bring US judges to the Philippines to engage in judge-to-judge interaction with local jurists to discuss sensitive issues and establish a follow-on network for continuing communication.

This initiative is part of the US government’s assistance to Filipino institutions.

Earlier this month, the US threatened to withdraw economic development assistance in areas controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) if the rebel organization maintains its ties with "outlaws" and "terrorists."

US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone was quoted as saying that he would not raise the issue if they do not have excellent grounds for it.

The need to strengthen the country’s justice system was also seen in view of the recent mass walkout of judges and court employees to demand for a salary increase and the cancellation of the results of the mercantile law exam in the last Philippine bar exams due to an alleged leak.

Over the past three years, USAID has actively supported the legal sector in the Philippines through various activities.

The US agency has worked with the Philippine Judicial Academy to train sitting judges in making decisions that are consistent and less arbitrary, briefing judges on new laws that the USAID has supported, such as money laundering, bankruptcy, intellectual property rights and electronic commerce.

It has likewise helped establish a system of mediation in municipal and regional courts.

It has trained over 400 mediators and has assisted civil society groups that support the reform agenda in the Philippine judiciary.

"USAID will continue to work through a number of partners in the justice field," the agency said in a statement.

Through the Asia Foundation, it has vowed to strengthen the mediation system set up earlier in municipal and regional courts and see to it that the system is institutionalized even without future donor funding.

Moreover, Asia Foundation will establish a civil society watch group under which judges’ behavior will be observed and publicly reported.

Earlier, Senate President Franklin Drilon said the Senate has resolved the impasse over the bill that rationalizes the salaries of judges, justices and court personnel and expects Senate Bill No. 2018 to be ratified on Monday during regular session.

He said the Senate is expected to submit the ratified version of the bill to Malacañang for approval before the end of October.