SC leads talks on judicial rules for anti-terror financing cases
SUPREME Court Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo recently led the three-day dialogue on the Proposed Judicial Rules on Anti-Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Financing Cases held in Mandaue City, Cebu.
The dialogue aims to provide an opportunity for the SC to present and gather inputs from stakeholders on the Proposed Judicial Rules, for eventual consideration of the En Banc in its approval of the rules.
In his keynote speech delivered on the first day of the dialogue, Gesmundo stressed the necessity for the Court to come up with a set of procedural rules in resolving cases on the anti-terrorism law.
He recognized the need to allow a more proactive approach to national security to effectively prevent terrorist activities especially with the rapid advancement in technology.
He, however, stressed that security measures “must be done within the confines of the law, with proper checks and balances, to guarantee that there is no undue or excessive intrusion to our rights and freedoms.”
“True to its mandate, the Supreme Court is here to ensure that any measure in this regard will be based only on clear legal authority and must adhere strictly to proper procedure,” said the Chief Justice.
Retired Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno who is Chairperson of the Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee for the Formulation of the Special Rules of Procedure on Anti-Terrorism Cases, made it clear that in the Proposed Rules, that “there is no stage in the proceedings where the constitutional rights of a party are left unprotected, even when a party is excluded from the proceedings.”
