MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signed Republic Act No. 12304 into law, a measure aimed at providing Filipino Muslims equitable access to Shari’ah courts by digitalizing court processes and strengthening legal support services.

The law, signed on September 18, amends provisions of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) Act of 2009, or RA 9997.

Under RA 12304, the NCMF and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in coordination with the Supreme Court, are tasked to create a digital platform for paperless filing of pleadings and other court submissions.

“The Commission shall facilitate the paperless filing of pleadings and other court submissions. The Commission shall respect the right to privacy of the parties concerned and shall not retain any copy of the digital documents referred to herein,” the law states.

The law also mandates the NCMF to assist the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in conducting a census of the Filipino Muslim population at national, regional, provincial, city, and municipal levels, with both agencies required to submit an annual report containing data on Muslim births, marriages, and deaths.

To strengthen legal support, RA 12304 directs the NCMF’s Legal Affairs Bureau to provide Filipino Muslims with legal education and assistance in cases involving their persons or interests. The Bureau will serve as the NCMF’s legal counsel, investigate cases involving its personnel, and handle valid complaints filed with the NCMF.

The Bureau is also tasked with facilitating the filing or submission of pleadings to the proper Shari’ah Court for litigants in regions without an existing Shari’ah Court.

The NCMF is required to submit an annual report on the implementation of the law to the Senate President, the House Speaker, and the chairpersons of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs and the House Committee on Muslim Affairs.