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Raffy Tulfo takes oath as senator before Justice Leonen


Senator-elect Raffy Tulfo on Wednesday took his oath of office before Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.

The broadcaster-turned-lawmaker was accompanied by his spouse, ACT-CIS party-list Representative Jocelyn Tulfo.

In a statement, the incoming senator said he will push for the digitalization of court processes in order to improve efficiency in the lower courts.

“I am open to working with the Supreme Court and the Court Administrator on how to increase the efficiency of its work processes through digitization, computerization, and faster communication, while still maintaining proper administration of justice,” said Tulfo.

“This is necessary and urgent so that the innocent and the reformable detainees can be released sooner rather than later by the tens of thousands.”

Tulfo also highlighted the need to invest in more physical facilities at the courts and other detention facilities across the country.

“More online or video conferencing are needed not just at the courthouses or halls of justice, but also at the jails at the municipal, city, and provincial levels. Especially at the jails where there is high congestion, there should be a room or hall where several court hearings can be simultaneously conducted. Every detention facility should have a venue for online court hearings," he said.

Tulfo also mulled the idea of "court on wheels" where judges can conduct remote hearings, noting that it would be a better and cost-efficient option especially in remote places where physical facilities are not available.

“There is also the matter of switching faster from a paper-based process to a fully-digitized system. Old court documents should be digitized and stored in a secure digital database while the paper documents can be stored in regional warehouses. Incoming new documents should be digitized outright. I look forward to seeing the proposed solution of the Supreme Court to this problem,” he added.

Tulfo ranked third in the 2022 senatorial race, garnering 23,166,449 votes. —Hana Bordey/KBK, GMA News