Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” C. Remulla expressed appreciation to the lawmakers in recognizing the efforts of the Department of Justice (DOJ) for its effective and efficient service delivery.
In yesterday’s budget hearing, lawmakers took the time to laud the Department for its various accomplishments for FY 2024 with the implementation of Department Circular (DC) No. 20 or the pro-active participation of prosecutors in case build-up intended to gain reasonable certainty of conviction and airtight cases before the courts, decentralization and decongestion of jails, increase of compensation/reparation for victims of injustice and many others.
Senators JV Ejercito and Aquilino Pimentel III even personally congratulated Secretary Remulla for being an innovator, considering DC 20 was implemented under his stint where "probable cause" leveled-up to "a reasonable certainty of conviction" as a meterstick for prosecutors in the filing of cases before courts.
Secretary Remulla said, “We have set rules that are so important for the prosecutors to note and for the policemen to follow and so we train them to work together for a better case build-up so as not to waste resoucres in pursuit of justice.”
The Secretary also called for a whole of government approach in the fight against Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC).
Undersecretary Fredderick A. Vida, Usec-in-Charge for Finance, Administrative and Personnel (FAP) Cluster, in his presentation before the Committee on Finance chaired by Senator Grace Poe, said the proposed budget for the DOJ and its attached agencies under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) amounts to P37.758 billion which is 4.22% higher than the current year.
"For us, the approval of the DOJ's proposed budget for the fiscal year 2025 is not a mere governmental process or a basic operation of law which ends once completed, rather, it is a manifestation of the trust and confidence of the Filipino people in our institution to uphold the Rule of Law with unwavering determination to delivering swift justice to all,” added Remulla.
Meanwhile, the DOJ also recognizes the areas for improvement pointed out by some senators like upskilling/increasing cybercrime personnel, finding out ways on how to effectively supervise the existing food budget of PDLs and improving immigration/investigation efforts.
The DOJ seriously considers these comments/suggestions from our lawmakers essential to intensify the Department's mandate of upholding the Rule of Law.
With the Secretary are his Undersecretaries, Assistant Secretaries, heads of agencies and concerned personnel who actively addressed issues raised by the lawmakers.
To recall, Sen. Edgardo "Sonny" Angara sponsored the DOJ's proposed NEP budget for the previous FY 2024 amounting to P34.486 billion.
