Senator Robinhood Padilla on Friday filed a measure seeking to provide Filipino Muslims better access to Shari’a courts through the digital processing of routine documents in the said courts.

In filing Senate Bill No. 2462, which seeks to amend some provisions of Republic Act 9997 or the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Act of 2009, Padilla said it is about time to make Shari’a courts more accessible to Muslim Filipinos.

He noted that many Muslim Filipinos are facing difficulties in availing the services of Shari’a courts due to a lack of financial capability and knowledge in submitting documents, and the lack of Shari’a courts outside of Mindanao.

“Needless to say, these circumstances undermine our country’s commitment to promoting fair and equal treatment to all of its citizens under the law,” Padilla said in his explanatory note.

“This measure introduces provisions for the creation of a digital platform that allows the paperless filing of routine documents to and from Shari’a courts, as well as the collection of statistical data for Muslim Filipinos at the national, regional, provincial, city, and municipal levels,” he said.

SB 2462 mandates the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to work with the Supreme Court in establishing a digital platform for the “paperless filing” of documents including marriage, birth and death certificates, along with the collection of appropriate fees.

The NCMF will also help in the submission of legal documents related to cases before the Shari’a court, and may also enter into public-private partnerships to facilitate the filing of documents.

The NCMF shall also coordinate with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on the collection of statistical data for Muslim Filipinos at the national, regional, provincial, city and municipal levels.

The proposed bill also tasked the NCMF’s Bureau of Legal Affairs to ensure equitable access for Muslim Filipinos in Shari’a courts and establish a mechanism for the submission of legal documents to the proper Shari’a courts for Muslim Filipino litigants who are in a region where there is no existing one.

“This proposed measure ensures that all citizens of this country are able to access an effective, efficient, and non-discriminatory legal system,” Padilla said. (PNA)