The
Sandiganbayan is a special
courtA court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
in the
PhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
which was established under Presidential Decree No. 1606. Its rank is equivalent to the
Court of AppealsThe Court of Appeals of the Philippines is the Philippines' second highest judicial court, just after the Supreme Court. The court consists of 68 Associate Justices and 1 Presiding Justice...
. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Presiding Justice. The Sandiganbayan building is located at Centennial Building, Commonwealth Ave., Batasan Road,
Quezon CityQuezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
in
Metro ManilaMetropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
.
History
The creation of the Sandiganbayan was originally provided for by Article XIII of the
1973 Constitution of the PhilippinesThe Constitution of the Philippines is the supreme law of the Philippines.The Constitution currently in effect was enacted in 1987, during the administration of President Corazon Aquino, and is popularly known as the "1987 Constitution"...
:
"
SEC. 5. The National Assembly shall create a special court, to be known as Sandiganbayan, which shall have jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving graft and corrupt practices and such other offenses committed by public officers and employees, including those in government-owned or controlled corporations, in relation to their office as may be determined by law."
In obedience to this mandate, the late
PresidentThe President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Ferdinand MarcosFerdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
, exercising the emergency legislative power granted him under Amendment No. 6 of the 1976 Amendments to the 1973 Constitution, issued on June 11, 1978, Presidential Decree No. 1486 creating the Sandiganbayan and putting it on the same level as what were then known as the Courts of First Instance, now the Regional Trial Courts. Shortly thereafter, however, the Sandiganbayan was elevated to the level of the
Court of AppealsThe Court of Appeals of the Philippines is the Philippines' second highest judicial court, just after the Supreme Court. The court consists of 68 Associate Justices and 1 Presiding Justice...
by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1606 issued on December 10, 1978.
At the start of its operation on February 12, 1979, the Sandiganbayan had only one Division, composed of the Presiding Justice, Hon. Manuel R. Pamaran, and two Associate Justices, Hon. Bernardo P. Fernandez and Hon. Romeo M. Escareal, and a skeleton force of fifteen (15). The start of the third year of the Court's operation in 1981 was marked by the activation of the Second Division. The appointment of three more Justices of the Third Division on August 4, 1982 completed the full membership of the Court.
The People Power Revolution of February 1986 signaled the beginning of a new dispensation, caused substantial changes in the entire government machinery, including the judiciary. However, both the “Freedom Constitution” and the new Constitution have seen fit to maintain the Sandiganbayan as one of the principal instruments of public accountability. In furtherance of this, its jurisdiction has been broadened to include the so-called “ill-gotten wealth” cases investigated by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) through Executive Orders No. 14 and No. 14-A. In the reorganization program of the new government, the resignation of some of the members of the Court was accepted leading to the appointment of a new Presiding Justice in the person of Hon. Francis E. Garchitorena.
To further strengthen the functional and structural organization of the Sandiganbayan, several amendments have been introduced to the original law creating it, the latest of which are Republic Acts No. 7975 and No. 8249. Under these new laws, the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan is now confined to cases involving public officials occupying positions classified as salary grade “27” and higher. As restructured, the Sandiganbayan is presently composed of a Presiding Justice and fourteen (14) Associate Justices who sit in five (5) Divisions of three Justices each in the trial and determination of cases.
Current Justices
| Name |
Position |
Date of Appointment |
Date of Birth |
Date of Retirement |
| Hon. FRANCISCO H. VILLARUZ, JR. |
Presiding Justice |
October 5, 2011
(October 2, 2001 as
Associate Justice) |
June 8, 1943 |
June 8, 2013 |
| Hon. GREGORY S. ONG Gregory Santos Ong is a Filipino jurist and an incumbent Justice of the Sandiganbayan. He was initially appointed as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on May 16, 2007, but his appointment was subsequently withdrawn after questions...
|
Associate Justice |
October 5, 1998 |
May 25, 1953 |
May 25, 2023 |
| Hon. ROLAND B. JURADO |
Associate Justice |
October 3, 2003 |
January 31, 1953 |
January 31, 2023 |
| Hon. EFREN N. DE LA CRUZ |
Associate Justice |
October 10, 2003 |
June 18, 1954 |
June 18, 2024 |
| Hon. TERESITA V. DIAZ-BALDOS |
Associate Justice |
October 17, 2003 |
July 22, 1946 |
July 22, 2016 |
| Hon. JOSE R. HERNANDEZ |
Associate Justice |
March 9, 2004 |
November 22, 1946 |
November 22, 2016 |
| Hon. RODOLFO A. PONFERRADA |
Associate Justice |
August 23, 2004 |
September 13, 1947 |
September 13, 2017 |
| Hon. ALEXANDER G. GESMUNDO |
Associate Justice |
October 15, 2005 |
November 6, 1956 |
November 6, 2026 |
| Hon. SAMUEL R. MARTIRES |
Associate Justice |
May 10, 2006 |
January 2, 1949 |
January 2, 2019 |
| Hon. NAPOLEON E. INOTURAN |
Associate Justice |
April 4, 2008 |
July 27, 1948 |
July 27, 2018 |
| Hon. ALEX L. QUIROZ |
Associate Justice |
December 11, 2008 |
May 27, 1957 |
May 27, 2027 |
| Hon. MARIA CRISTINA J. CORNEJO |
Associate Justice |
March 1, 2010 |
December 13, 1950 |
December 13, 2020 |
| Hon. RAFAEL R. LAGOS |
Associate Justice |
December 9, 2010 |
December 22, 1954 |
December 22, 2024 |
| Hon. OSCAR C. HERRERA, JR. |
Associate Justice |
April 26, 2011 |
May 23, 1954 |
May 23, 2024 |
| Vacant |
Associate Justice |
|
|
|
See also
- 2011 Armed Forces of the Philippines corruption scandal
The Armed Forces of the Philippines was embroiled in a corruption scandal in early 2011 after its former budget officer George Rabusa testified in a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee of the pabaon system. The pabaon system refers to the money given to a retiring chief of staff as send-off money...
- Chief Justice of the Philippines
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines presides over the Supreme Court of the Philippines and is the highest judicial officer of the government of the Philippines...
- Court of Appeals of the Philippines
- Court of Tax Appeals of the Philippines
- Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
- Political history of the Philippines
The political history of the Philippines are chronicles which describes the history of the islands, starting from the beginning of civilization and up to the present day period.*Politics of the Philippines**Prehistoric Philippines...
- Constitution of the Philippines
The Constitution of the Philippines is the supreme law of the Philippines.The Constitution currently in effect was enacted in 1987, during the administration of President Corazon Aquino, and is popularly known as the "1987 Constitution"...
External links