By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signed into law a measure seeking to provide Filipino Muslims better access to Shari’ah courts through digitalization.
Marcos on Sept. 18 signed Republic Act (RA) 12304, which amends RA 9997 or the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) Act of 2009.
Under RA 12304, the NCMF and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in coordination with the Supreme Court, will create a digital platform to allow paperless filing of pleadings and other court submissions.
The NCMF shall also coordinate with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on the proper collection of statistical data for Muslim Filipinos at the national, regional, provincial, city, and municipal levels.
“The Commission and the PSA shall prepare an annual report which shall include the data on Muslim births, marriages, and deaths for the year based on the transmitted registered civil registry documents from local civil registry offices, Shari’ah Circuit Registrars, and the Philippine Foreign Service Posts Abroad,” RA 12304 read.
The NCMF’s Bureau of Legal Affairs, meanwhile, is tasked to provide Muslim Filipinos with legal education and assistance in case of litigation involving their persons or interests.
According to RA 12304, the bureau will also act as the legal counsel of the NCMF, investigating cases involving its personnel and valid complaints brought before the Commission.
The legal affairs bureau is also mandated to ensure equitable access to Shari’ah Courts and facilitate the filing or submission of appropriate documents with the proper Shari’ah Court for Muslim Filipino litigants who are in a region where there is no existing Shari’ah Court.
The NCMF is directed to submit an annual report on the implementation of RA 12304 to the Senate President, House Speaker, and chairpersons of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs and the House Committee on Muslim Affairs.
RA 12304 takes effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. (PNA)
