On August 12, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law Republic Act No. 12018, which mandates the creation of three additional Shari'a Judicial Districts and 12 circuit courts across the country.
The signed law amends Articles 138, 147, and 150 of Presidential Decree No. 1083.
Currently, there are only five Shari'a judicial districts established under Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1083, which coverage are as follows:
- Sulu
- Tawi-Tawi
- covering Basilan, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and the cities of Dipolog, Pagadian, and Zamboanga.
- Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and the cities of Iligan and Marawi
- Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Cotabato City
With the presence of RA No. 12018, three additional Shari’a districts will be formed one of which that would cover Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Camiguin, Cagayan de Oro City, and the provinces in Region XI and XIII.
The seventh district will cover the provinces within Regions VI, VII, and VIII. While the eight district is for Metro Manila, provinves within the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Regions I, II, III, IV-A, V, and the MIMAROPA (Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan) regions.
Under the newly signed law, an increase in number of Shari’a circuit courts from 51 to 63 is also mandated. There will be 12 new Shari’a circuit courts that will serve the newly-created Shari’a Judicial Districts.
Five circuit courts will be established in the sixth district, three in the seventh district, and four in the eighth Shari'a district.
The law will take effect 15 days following its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.
