To improve access to Sharia courts outside the Bangsamoro region, Senator Robin Padilla is pushing a measure to amend the constitutional requirements for lower court judges.
Philippine Senator Introduces Bill to Give Muslims Digital Access to Sharia Courts
Padilla introduced House Resolution 10, which proposed that “the membership requirement of the Philippine Bar shall not apply to Sharia judges.”
The senator said this strict requirement of the Constitution was discussed during the second meeting of the Philippine Congress-Bangsamoro Parliament Forum (PCBPF) in August 2023.
“Personal accounts from our Muslim brothers and sisters indicate that it is difficult to access these courts due to their geographical location. This has prompted Congress to pass a law to create additional Sharia jurisdictional districts and district courts outside the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM),” Padilla said.
