The Senate approved on the third and final reading a measure seeking to create three additional Shari’a Judicial Districts and 12 Shari’a Circuit Courts in the country.

The Senate Bill 2594 garnered 21 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and zero abstentions from the chamber’s lawmakers during the plenary session on Monday.

The measure amends Articles 138, 147 and 150 of Presidential Decree 1083 or the Code of Muslim Personal Laws in the Philippines.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said that SB 2594 will provide an opportunity for more Muslim Filipinos to easily access the Shari’a judicial system across the country.

“This is the increase of Shari’a courts because right now, the Shari’a courts are only in Cotabato City in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” he said.

Senator Francis Tolentino, chairperson of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights, said the approval of the measure in the chamber will allow Muslim Filipinos to be “one step closer” to having better access to the specialized knowledge and expertise of Shari’a judges — promoting fair and equal treatment of Muslims under the law.

The measure, he added, will promote inclusive, impartial, speedy, and quality justice to all, regardless of the people’s geographic locations.