Phl judges join global summit on cross-border child protection

A Philippine delegation of judges and court officials led by Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier joined a series of high-level international judicial meetings in Singapore aimed at strengthening cooperation on child protection in cross-border family disputes.

They participated in the 4th Global Meeting of the International Hague Network of Judges (IHNJ) from 10 t0 21 May 2025, where over 50 judges from 34 member countries of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) gathered to share best practices on handling international child abduction, custody, and support cases.

Joining Justice Lazaro-Javier were Court of Appeals Associate Justice Angelene Mary W. Quimpo-Sale; Regional Trial Court Judges Sita Jose Clemente (Malolos), Maria Josefina San Juan-Torres (Morong), and Sittie Laarni R. Umpa (Marawi); Supreme Court Deputy Clerk of Court Atty. Laura Del Rosario; and lawyers Atty. Marchellene Caday-Atitiw and Atty. Edrea Jean Ramirez.

During the conference, Judge Clemente presented recent Philippine initiatives to address cross-border child abduction, including the issuance of Department of Justice Circular No. 010 in 2022, which expedites the return of children wrongfully taken abroad, and the 2022 Supreme Court ruling A.M. No. 22-09-15-SC implementing the Hague Convention on Child Abduction.

The updated Rule on Family Mediation, issued in November 2024, was also highlighted. It now covers international disputes involving child custody, visitation, and support between Filipinos and foreign nationals, with mandatory mediation provisions.

A session co-moderated by Justice Quimpo-Sale and U.S. Judge Hiram Puig-Lugo focused on the evolving roles of IHNJ judges. Topics included cross-border judicial communication and managing concurrent asylum and return proceedings.

On 22 May, the delegation also attended the HCCH Judicial Roundtable and the 3rd ASEAN Family Judges Forum at the Supreme Court of Singapore—the first joint meeting between IHNJ and ASEAN family court judges.

Speaking as Co-Chairperson of the Council of ASEAN Chief Justices (CACJ) Working Group on Cross-Border Disputes Involving Children, Justice Lazaro-Javier presented regional initiatives, including the Country Profile tool that maps mediation options in each ASEAN state, a shared Code of Ethics for Mediators, and the Compendium of Agreed Frameworks on ethical and procedural standards for cross-border family cases.

She also announced that accredited family mediators in the Philippines will soon be listed on the ASEAN Judiciaries’ Portal for easier appointment in regional disputes.

Justice Lazaro-Javier reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to promoting children's welfare through international cooperation and praised the forum’s progress in building a more responsive justice system for vulnerable children.

The series of events concluded with the 11th Meeting of the CACJ Working Group on 23 May, where ASEAN justices explored applying therapeutic justice to improve family relationships and proposed developing a shared ASEAN perspective to guide future initiatives on cross-border disputes involving children.