Ipa-Raffy Tulfo Mo! The Inaccessibility of Philippine Justice System based on the Narratives of Tulfo Supporters

Abstract

In the Philippines’ looming judicial system, “Justice delayed is justice denied'' is no longer just an adage. It pictures the whole judiciary crisis in the country. Legitimate justice institutions providing for justice seem to be inefficient with the rise of alternative justice such as vigilante justice systems. People from the urban poor population prefer Raffy Tulfo in Action, a TV show led by the media broadcaster Raffy Tulfo (who does not have any background in the law), portraying trial by publicity and public humiliation as the mode of justice. This study explores the lived experiences of the urban poor residents of Barangay 282, San Nicolas, Binondo Manila, NCR, Philippines, who perceive the Tulfo justice as an alternative means of accessing legitimate justice. This action research study focuses on people’s inaccessibility on the swift justice system provided for by the legitimate courts. The study wishes to recommend reforms to the Supreme Court to bring about change in the Judicial System of the Philippines. This qualitative inquiry utilizes the triangulation method for the data collection process from: 1) publicly available data, 2) lawyers of the judiciary, and 3) residents, in the form of interview and focus group discussion. The analysis of data is through the Transcendental Phenomenological Analysis. The study will be bracketed to keep the personal preconceived ideas of the researchers from influencing the answers of the residents. This study will solely focus on the lived experiences of the participants. It is then followed by the process of horizonalization where statements relevant to the objectives of the study are highlighted. Statements will be grouped into clusters akin to the content’s parallelism and correspondence. The core themes will then be generated synthesis made by the researchers and will be presented as the essence of the participants’ experiences in the study of the matter. The findings will then be discussed with the interviewees, discussants, and key informants in the legal institution.