From Left to Right: Presiding Justice Francisco Villaruz Jr., Chief Justice Renato C. Corona, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, President Benigno S. Aquino III, Speaker Feliciano R. Belmonte Jr., Secretary Leila M. De Lima, and Secretary Jesse M. Robredo
Manila Hotel, Philippines – On December 5 and 6, 2011, the first National Criminal Justice Summit was held, with the thrust of improving the Philippine Justice System. The event was attended by hundreds of delegates from the various agencies of the government. Other than the State of the Nation Address (SONA), this is one of the rarest events in Philippine political history where the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the President of the House of Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President of the Republic, simultaneously attended a public function. All this to show the government’s support to the Justice Reform Agenda. The event was also attended by members of the Diplomatic Corps, key officials of the Supreme Court, heads and representatives of the Constitutional Offices, the Director-General and staff of the Philippine National Police, and the heads and representatives of the attached agencies of the Department of Justice.
The event was co-sponsored by government agencies considered as the pillars of the Philippine Justice System, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Supreme Court, and the Department of Interior and Local Government, in partnership with the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The first day of the summit set the tone of the event with messages from the Secretary Leila M. De Lima (DOJ), Secretary Jesse M. Robredo (DILG). The secretaries’ speeches were followed by discourses from Chief Justice Renato Corona, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, and Speaker Feliciano R. Belmonte Jr. The highlight of the summit was the message of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III who stressed the significant roles of the stakeholders in the Philippine Justice System in the delivery of justice to the Filipino people.
The second day of the summit was capped by a pledge of commitment to the Justice Reform Agenda of all participants, led by no less than the Vice President of the Philippines, Jejomar C. Binay.
