Public trust in the courts can be restored if members of the judiciary are more transparent with their wealth and cases are resolved swiftly, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno said Tuesday.
Diokno, who chairs the Free Legal Assistance Group, said confidence in the courts had been eroded because for ordinary Filipinos, justice is elusive if not slow.
According to Diokno, access to the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth of justices have become "extremely difficult" despite the existence of a law that authorizes any citizen to get a copy of such document for a minimal fee.
"That has to change because otherwise people will not be able to put any kind of confidence into our justices," he told Summit Sandwich Sessions.
The Office of the Ombudsmans also has to be more proactive with lifestyle checks among members of the judiciary, Diokno said.
"The Ombudsman does not conduct lifestyle checks on members of the judiciary which to me should happen. Para naman maging transparent at on their toes din ang mga judges and justices natin," he added.
The public's distrust in courts can also be attributed to the long litigation process especially in cases involving human rights and political personalities, which Diokno said is partly because of the insufficiency of judges and prosecutors.
He said one in five trial courts in the country has no judge, and that 34% of the prosecutorial positions nationwide are vacant.
"Connected to that issue is the fact that all the appointing power is in the hands of one person. It's the president who appoints the prosecutors, the judges and justices. And that has resulted in a highly politicized process of appointment," Diokno said.
"These are related issues that have to be addressed by the government if you want to restore people's confidence in the judicial system," he added.
Diokno earlier declared that he would run again in the 2022 elections without specifying the position. Among other issues, he said he wanted to help fix the country's justice system while in office.
"If you're talking about fixing up our justice system, it's not gonna get fixed unless people in power see the problem and do something about it," he told ANC in an interview last June.
"I've been a lawyer for three decades and I've seen it first hand. I know how we should fix our system," he added.
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