THE SUPREME COURT, through the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA), and the Department of Justice, through the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), signed a memorandum of agreement on judicial security on February 12 at the SC Centennial Building, Faura, Manila.
     The MOA, signed by Court Administrator Christopher O. Lock and NBI Director Nestor M. Mantaring, is aimed at protecting judges and justices from threats to their personal safety arising from their judicial work. The MOA took effect immediately.
     Court Administrator Lock has designated Deputy Court Administrator Reuben P. Dela Cruz, himself a former NBI agent, as liaison officer to the NBI.
     Pursuant to the MOA, the NBI created the Task Force Judiciary Protection as the bureau’s investigating and operating unit. The TFJP, composed of NBI personnel, will “provide prompt and effective protection to judges and justices needing or requesting protection due to threats to their personal safety arising from judicial work” and “investigate thoroughly without letup until final resolution of all killings or attempted killings of judges and justices.” The TFJP will also conduct site inspections and risk assessments of the SC compound, as well as the premises of the Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals, and the three pilot Halls of Justice – Manila, Cebu, and Cotabato City.
     For its part, the OCA shall provide the equipment and facilities (e.g., bulletproof vests, remote video cameras) needed to protect judges and justices facing threats. Likewise, the OCA shall reimburse the NBI for actual transportation costs, accommodation, allowance, and similar expenses for surveillance and protection to be incurred by the TFJP.
     The MOA was the latest of measures drawn up by the SC to curb the work-related killing of judges. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Rule of Law Effectiveness (ROLE), is providing technical assistance by engaging the expertise of Mr. Joe Paonessa, a consultant from the US Marshals.
     Thirteen judges have been killed since 1999. The latest victim was Baggao, Cagayan Municipal Trial Court Nathaniel C. Pattugalan who was shot to death by still unidentified assailants last January 19 near the Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City. Most of the cases remain unsolved until now.