President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signed a new law that will make it easier for Filipino Muslims to access justice through Shari’ah courts by moving many processes online and strengthening legal assistance.
The President signed Republic Act 12304 on September 18, which updates the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) Act of 2009 (RA 9997).
The law directs the NCMF and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in partnership with the Supreme Court, to build a digital platform for paperless filing of cases and court documents.
According to the law: “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.”
RA 12304 also strengthens NCMF’s Legal Affairs Bureau, which will now provide Filipino Muslims with legal education and assistance in litigation, act as the Commission’s counsel, and investigate complaints against its personnel.
For Muslims living in areas without a Shari’ah Court, the Bureau will help with the filing of cases and court documents in the proper venue.
The law also instructs NCMF to work with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to conduct a census of Filipino Muslims, gathering annual data on births, marriages, and deaths at national, regional, and local levels. This information will help policymakers better understand and respond to the needs of Muslim communities.
The NCMF is required to submit an annual report on how the law is being implemented to the Senate President, the House Speaker, and the heads of the Senate and House Committees on Muslim Affairs.