Justice Singh explained that for many years, justice delivery in the Philippines suffered from fragmentation and lack of public trust. The five pillars of the criminal justice system— the police, prosecution, courts, corrections, and community— belong to different government agencies, most under the Executive branch, while the Judiciary operates independently. This institutional separation often led to inefficiency, duplication of efforts, and wasted resources.

This realization led to the establishment of Justice Zones or local platforms for stronger inter-agency collaboration across the pillars of the justice system. Justice Singh emphasized that there is no longer “just the courts,” but rather “the justice sector.” “It’s a service we all deliver together,” she added. “If one fails, we are all inefficient, we all fail.”

Justice Singh shared that since the establishment of the first Justice Zone in 2014, the Philippines has now created 16 Justice Zones nationwide. A report by the European Union, through its Governance in Justice Programme, gave the initiative an 87% rating (“excellent to very good”), based on stakeholder feedback gathered through a survey.

She also underscored the importance of transparency as a key factor in building public trust in the justice system. When people do not understand what goes on in their cases, suspicions and doubts naturally arise. “It may not necessarily be about corruption, but it may be a basic lack of understanding of what the processes are,” Justice Singh said.

To address this, the Judiciary has embarked on a comprehensive information and education campaign, adopting a whole-of-government approach that translates transparency into tangible action on the ground.

Justice Singh further announced the upcoming launch of a new Justice Zone in November, focusing on efforts against Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children or OSAEC in a region identified as the most affected by this issue.

Other panelists included Samuel Arias Arzeno, Judge of the First Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, Judicial Branch of the Dominican Republic; Udo Ilo, Chief Executive Officer of the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law; Manuel Olmedo, Secretary of State for Justice, Spain; and Alvaro Herrero, Executive Director of International Open Justice Network. The discussion was moderated by Maaike de Langen, Senior Advisor, Public Governance Directorate, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Justice Singh also attended a bilateral meeting between the Philippine Government and the OGP leadership, alongside Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Deputy Clerk of Court and Chief Technology Officer Atty. Jed Sherwin G. Uy, and Deputy Chief Justice Staff Head Atty. Ceasar Antonio R. Manila.