The Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam, represented by its Judicial Education and Training (JET) Unit, and the Supreme Court of the Philippines, represented by the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA), today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen cooperation in judicial education and training.
The MOU was signed by Acting Chief Registrar Hajah Hazarena binti POKSJ DP Haji Hurairah on behalf of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam in her capacity as Chairperson of the Judicial Education and Training Unit and Chancellor Edgardo L. Delos Santos, on behalf of the Philippine Judicial Academy.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by The Honourable Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam and The Honourable Alexander G. Gesmundo, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
Present at the signing ceremony were The Honourable Judicial Commissioner Dato Paduka Haji Abdullah Soefri bin POKSM DSP Haji Abidin, The Honourable Judicial Commissioner Muhammed Faisal bin PDJLD Colonel (Retired) DSP Haji Kefli, and Ms. Bernadette A. Mendoza, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines.
The MOU reflects the shared commitment of both Judiciaries to promote cooperation in advancing judicial education and to foster professional exchanges. Under the MOU, the two institutions will explore cooperation in a range of areas including the exchange of expertise and good practices in judicial education, training and capacity-building activities, development and sharing of educational resources, collaborative programmes and initiatives, and professional exchange and networking opportunities.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong said “The MOU provides the framework and it is now for our respective institutions, and importantly, for our people, to give that framework life.” The Chief Justice expressed the hope that the MOU would lead to judges, judicial officers and court personnel from Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines participating in each other’s programmes, sharing experiences and educational resources, developing joint initiatives and building professional friendships.
The signing marks an important step in the development of bilateral judicial cooperation between Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines and provides a foundation for further engagement between the two Judiciaries in the years ahead.
This is the sixth memorandum signed between the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam and foreign jurisdictions, following the signing of a memorandum with the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China on 21 September 2004 and renewed on 6 February 2025, the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR on 4 May 2023, the Supreme Court of Singapore on 18 July 2023, the Federal Court of Malaysia on 6 March 2024 and the Judicial Branch of the Republic of Peru on 12 November 2024.
SUPREME COURT OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM / 30 AUGUST 2026