The Magna Carta for Judges. ARTICLE I - Declaration of Policy and Courage Section 1. Declaration of Policy.

It is hereby declared to be the policy of this Act to promote justice, improve and enhance the social statute and economic conditions of judges who shall function and operate in the delivering justice inexpensively and expeditiously, free from bias and pressure from whatever sources. Section 2. Title Definition. This Act shall be known as the MAGNA CARTA FOR JUDGES, and shall apply to all Regional Trial Court judges or judges of the second-level courts. ARTICLE II - Appointment Section 1. The appointment of judges shall be subject to the provisions of Article VIII, Sections eight (8), paragraphs five (5) and nine (9) of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Provided, however, that no lawyer shall be appointed as a judge of the second-level courts unless the same holds the minimum experience of 10 years as a judge of the Metropolitan Trial Courts/ Municipal Trial Courts along and those prescribed in the second section of this Article. Section 2. A judge must be a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a member of the Philippine Bar, and at least 40 years of age. Section 3. Promotions shall be based strictly upon merit, which shall be based upon the following criteria: (1) competence; (2) industry; (4) moral courage; (5) independence; (6) professional demeanor; and (7) seniority in the judicial service. Section 4. There should only be a single representative of Congress in the Judicial and Bar Council as explicitly provided for by the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Section 5. This Act shall also cover the Code of Judicial Conduct promulgated by the Supreme Court. Section 6. No judge shall be transferred nor detailed to another brancj of the court or station, except with the express consent of the judge involved or in cases where extreme exigencies arise within the service, and only upon approval of the Supreme Court sitting en banc, which shall not exceed a period of six (6) months. Provided the judge does not have any case submitted fir decision nor any incident pending resolution in his regular sala. ARTICLE III - Vacancies Section 1. In case of any vacancy created by the death, resignation, or removal from service of a judge, the pairing judge in addition to his regular sala shall also temporarily take over the vacant sala and shall be entitled to a special monthly hardship allowance of Php15,000.00 until a regular judge shall have been duly appointed and qualified. ARTICLE IV - Salaries Section 1. To ensure a decent standard of living for judges, their salaries should progress gradually by means of regular increments which shall be granted to them automatically every

two (2) years. Section 2. No deduction shall be made from the salaries of judges without consent of the judge concerned, except those deductions specifically authorized by law. Article V - Appointment of Executive Judges Section 1. Seniority in the judicial service, specifically in the second-level courts, and the capability of preserving the harmonious relationship among the judges in a particular station within the Executive Judges area of administrative supervision, should be considered as primordial factors in the selection and appointment of Executive Judges. Provided, that the sentiments of the judge concerned and the recommendation of the deputy/assistant court administrator, having administrative supervision over a particular station, should be taken into consideration. Article VI - Administrative Complaints Section 1. The administrative complaint against a judge should be filed with the Office of the Court Administrator who shall refer the same to the judge concerned for comment within 10 days from the receipt thereof. Section 2. The complaint mentioned in the preceding section together with the comment and other pleadings filed relative thereto should be referred to the Assistant Court Administrator having administrative supervision of the particular station, for evaluation, report, and recommendation to the Supreme Court en banc through the Court Administrator. In the event that there is a need for the formal investigation, the case should be referred by the Supreme Court to the Court of Appeals and assign the same, by way of raffle, to a justice who shall hear and submit its report and recommendation to the Supreme Court en banc. Section 3. In consonance with Article VIII, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution, no judge shall be disciplined, suspended, or dismissed from the service, except upon the order of the Supreme Court sitting en banc, by a vote of a majority if the members who actually took part in the deliberation on the issues of the case. Section 4. The complaint for legal offenses against the personnel of the second-level courts, whether filed directly with the Supreme Court, the Office of the Court Administrator, or the lower courts, shall be heard and decided by the appropriate supervising official concerned. Section 5. The supervising officials mentioned in the previous section are the presiding judges of the second-level courts, with respect to their own personnel. Section 6. The Executive Judge within the area of its administrative supervision shall act concerning legal offenses where the parties included are the personnel of the Office of the Clerk of Court and where both parties are employers of the difference branches of the court. Section 7. In light offenses, the respondent may appeal to the Supreme Court en banc after 30 days from the receipt of the Administrative decision, but the appeal shall not stay the enforcement thereof. ARTICLE VII - Health Benefits

ARTICLE VIII - Leave Benefits ARTICLE IX Judges Association General Provisions