MANILA — Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan called for the creation of a Joint Congressional Commission on Justice System Reform, saying it would bring critical reforms to the judiciary while ensuring Filipinos from all walks of life have equal access to justice.

In his opening statement during the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights hearing on the modernization of immigration law and the proposed justice reform commission, Pangilinan highlighted the need for the new body.

“This is why we believe a joint congressional commission on justice reform is necessary,” he said, citing the 2025 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, which placed the Philippines 97th out of 143 countries globally and 13th out of 15 in East Asia and the Pacific, with “especially weak scores in civil and criminal justice.”

“Isang komisyon na nakikinig sa datos at sa boses ng tao, that studies our courts, prosecutors, jails, and police — not to point fingers, but to fix what is broken. Sa pandinig ngayon, maririnig natin kung paano gagawin ng nasabing komisyon para maabot ang katarungan, pagkakapantay‑pantay, at pananagutan,” he added.

Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate justice committee, said the study reflects public perception that the justice system favors the rich and powerful.

His proposal, filed as Senate Bill No. 1547, comes in the wake of what he called the “largest corruption in the history of the Republic,” referring to a multi-billion-peso flood control scandal.

“It was Chief Justice Puno who said in another hearing that ‘extraordinary times require extra ordinary remedies,’ and we would like to think the Congressional Commission on Justice Reform is precisely an extraordinary remedy considering the magnitude of the wanton disregard for the rule of law displayed by the trillions of pesos worth of government funds,” Pangilinan said.

“Insanity, they say, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. If we are not going to delve deeper into the system of justice in our country and figure out what we should do differently, then the massive corruption will remain unabated,” he added.