Mountain Province has new RTC branch

By Erlindo Agwilang

PARACELIS, Mountain Province – President Rodrigo Duterte has approved August 22 the creation of an additional branch of the Regional Trial Court in this remote town.

Republic Act No. 11381, “An Act creating an additional branch of the Regional Trial Court in the Province of Mountain Province to be stationed in the municipality of Paracelis amending for the purpose Sec. 14, paragraph of Batas Pambansa BLG. 129, known as the Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980 as amended and appropriating funds therefor” was principally authored by the late Mountain Province Rep. Maximo B. Dalog in the 16th and 17th Congress.

Paracelis is 225 kilometers away from the capital town of Bontoc where the regional trial courts are located.

Previously, litigants had to endure the hassle of travelling for more than 10 hours passing Ifugao, Kalinga, Nueva Vizcaya and Isabela just to attend hearings in said courts.

In an interview, Rep. Maximo Y. Dalog, Jr., said the law sponsored by his late father will now afford the people of Paracelis justice and social equity. “Our constituents from this eastern part of the province will no longer struggle from the difficulty of travel including spending for travel expenses as the RTC branch is already right t their doorstep.”

Sections 1 and 2 of RA 11381 provides the Supreme Court shall assign the branch number of the newly created RTC branch in the First Judicial Region while the Chief Justice in coordination with the Secretary of the Department of Justice, shall immediately include in the Court’s program the operationalization of said additional branch.  

Aside from the late Dalog, the co-authors of RA 11381 included: Kalinga Rep. Allen Jesse Mangaoan, Rep. Vicente Veloso and former Representatives Reynaldo Umali and Karlo Nograles.