QuestionsQuestions (Republic Act No. 8557)
The State seeks to ensure an efficient and credible Judiciary by providing continuing education and training for members of the Judiciary and prospective applicants, as stated in Section 1.
PHILJA is established as a separate component unit of the Supreme Court, operating under its administration, supervision, and control.
PHILJA serves as a training school for justices, judges, court personnel, lawyers, and aspirants to judicial posts, providing curricula and conducting seminars, workshops, and training programs to upgrade legal knowledge, moral fitness, probity, efficiency, and capability, and performing other necessary duties.
PHILJA shall be located in Tagaytay City, or in such other place or places as the Supreme Court may determine (Section 4).
The Board includes: Chief Justice (ex officio Chairman), Senior Associate Justice (ex officio Vice Chairman), Chancellor, Presiding Justices of the Court of Appeals and Sandiganbayan, Court Administrator, President of the Philippine Judges Association, President of the Philippine Association of Law Schools (all ex officio members), plus one appointive member (Section 5).
The appointive member must be a judge of a first level court who has served for at least five (5) years and has taught in a reputable law school for the same number of years. The Supreme Court appoints the member for a term of one (1) calendar year, renewable for another term.
They serve without compensation but are entitled to reasonable honoraria/allowance for performance of their duties (Section 5).
PHILJA’s executive officials are the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, and Executive Secretary, appointed by the Supreme Court for a term of two (2) years, without prejudice to reappointments (Section 6).
They must have meritorious service as: (a) a member of a collegiate appellate court for at least five (5) years, or (b) an RTC judge for at least ten (10) years, and in all instances, must have meritorious service as a law school teacher for at least five (5) years, unless otherwise provided by the Supreme Court.
The executive officials of PHILJA shall not engage in the private practice of any profession (Section 6).
The Chancellor, in consultation with the Corps of Professorial Lecturers, determines academic courses and publication of a Judicial Journal and other legal writings, subject to approval by the Board of Trustees (Section 8).
They are determined by the Chancellor in consultation with the Corps of Professorial Lecturers and approved by the Board of Trustees (Section 9).
Once PHILJA is fully organized, only participants who have completed the Academy’s programs and complied with all requirements may be appointed or promoted to any position or vacancy in the Judiciary (Section 10).
Honoraria, allowances, and other emoluments of personnel from the consortium institutions shall not be taken from PHILJA funds.
They are exempt from all forms of taxes, including donors’ and donees’ taxes, fees, income tax, real estate assessments and other government charges (Section 13).
Legacies, gifts, and donations become a special fund called the Judicial Academy Fund, administered and disbursed by the Board of Trustees exclusively for purposes of the Act (Section 14).
Properties previously pertaining to the Academy are automatically transferred to PHILJA upon effectivity of the Act unless otherwise provided in the original deed of conveyance, donation, grant, or transfer (Section 15).
It takes effect fifteen (15) days after complete publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation, whichever occurs earlier (Section 19).