Two additional branches of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCCs) will be established soon in Bacolod City’s 6th Judicial Region.

Republic Act (RA) 12051, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Sunday, November 3, provides for the establishment of two MTCC branches.

RA 12051 also directed the Supreme Court to assign the courts’ respective numbers.

“The current position of the MTCCs in Bacolod highly demands an increase in the number of court branches that would aid in the speedy dispensation of justice,” Bacolod Lone District Representative Greg Gasataya, author of House Bill (HB) 2918, substituted by HB 8255, said.

The MTCC will have nine branches.

Under RA 12051, fund appropriations for “salaries, benefits and emoluments of judges and court personnel, court operations under maintenance and other operating expenses, and provisions for Halls of Justice or courtrooms to accommodate judges and court staff … shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.”

Gasataya said existing courts in Bacolod are handling cases with a less than three percent completion rate.

It does not include additional cases filed on a day-to-day basis.

“Such conditions remain and the cases stocked on file are to exceed the cases dismissed,” Gasataya said./WDJ