THE Philippine court system is facing a massive backlog, with nearly a million cases remaining unresolved nationwide, Senator Grace Poe revealed during the Senate plenary debates for the 2025 General Appropriations Bill.
Poe, who is the sponsor of the judiciary’s budget, highlighted the alarming situation, stating that the Regional Trial Courts carry the heaviest burden with a staggering 362,000 pending cases.
The Shariah Courts follow closely with 298,000 unresolved cases, while Municipal Trial Courts in cities have 69,000, Family Courts 64,000, Metropolitan Trial Courts 40,000, Municipal Circuit Trial Courts 29,000, and Municipal Trial Courts 28,000.
Even higher courts are grappling with backlogs. The Court of Appeals has 26,000 unresolved cases, the Supreme Court 14,756, the Court of Tax Appeals 1,500, and the Sharia Circuit Courts 1,368.
The law mandates that cases be resolved within 90 days, and judges who fail to meet this deadline face administrative charges. Senator Poe noted that there are currently 150 cases of judges facing such complaints.
This alarming backlog underscores the need for urgent measures to address the inefficiency within the Philippine judicial system.
