Roma Salon, Manila Hotel
January 31, 2006

(By PP Fortunato "Tito" Gupit, Jr., Chair, CTJ Annual Awards Committee, Rotary Club of Manila)

Mr. President Dr. Cesar Ubaldo
Members of the Press
Fellow Rotarians
Distinguished Guests

It gives me great pleasure to announce the regional winners of the Commitment to Justice Awards of the Rotary Club of Manila.

This is national in reach because it reaches all the thirteen judicial regions throughout the country. The awards are given to three Judges of the Regional Trial Court and three Judges of the Metropolitan/Municipal Trial Court in each judicial region.

We believe that we have hit the right note in addressing the problem of judicial delay. This is a positive approach. Instead of penalizing judges, we are rewarding them.

All of us are "consumers of the justice system," either direct or indirect. We may be party litigants, lawyers, witnesses, or just plain citizens who are somehow affected by court decisions. In fact, it is my guess that many of those present here are parties in court cases. It should be logical, therefore, that all of us, judges, lawyers and laymen alike, should try to help in making the judicial system effective and efficient.

Before we announce the winners, allow me to acknowledge those who worked hard for this project. I refer to the RCM CTJ Awards Committee. It is chaired by yours truly, with RCM PD Beda Fajardo as vice-chairman. Some of its members who are here:

RCM Past President Netoy Sevilla, xxx.
RCM Director Robert "Bobby" Lim Joseph, Chairman, Coltrans Cargo;
RCM Past Director Rudy Bediones, xxx.
RCM  Past Secretary John Enrile "Ivan" Uy, former Chief of the Management & Information Service Office of the Supreme Court,
RCM Past Assistant Secretary and Past Assistant Treasurer Bernard Yu, CEO of Infoman, Inc.;
RCM Rtn. Arthur M. Lopez, President & CEO, CCA Philippines;

Because there are 72 winners, in the interest of time, I will merely name them and the regions that they come from. At any rate, they are in the list that has been distributed.

Let us congratulate them and hope that they can really serve as models of speedy justice. Considering the evident merit and worth of the Awards, we appeal for support from all those who are concerned with the workings of the trial courts. It was long ago when a philosopher named Aristotle said that justice is the prime concern of mankind. It may well be. And speedy justice should be an equal concern, because as the popular aphorism goes, justice delayed is justice denied.

We wish to take this occasion likewise to announce our Nationwide Raffle to support the Awards. This will be held on May 26, 2006. The top raffle prize is the sum of P200,000.00, plus two round trip tickets to Hong Kong by Philippine Airlines with two day Family Passes to Hong Kong Disneyland. Other prizes consist of merchandise worth around P150,000.00. Just follow three steps:

Deposit at least P500.00 as a basic unit in any Branch of the Bank of the Philippine Islands into the current account of the Rotary Club of Manila (Fund for Justice) Current Account No. 0421-0220-46.

Inform the Rotary Club of Manila through a number of ways.

Keep the deposit slip. Physical possession is necessary to claim any prize.

Thank you for coming.