Case Disposition Rates in Lower Courts Continue to Rise
May 6, 2024
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo delivers the Keynote Address on the first day of the 19th National Convention and Election of Officers of the Philippine Association of Court Employees at the Rizal Park Hotel on May 2, 2024. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
The case disposition rates in first- and second-level courts have been increasing from 2021 to 2023.
This was among the achievements celebrated at the 19th National Convention and Election of Officers of the Philippine Association of Court Employees (PACE) graced by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo at the Rizal Park Hotel on May 2, 2024.
Based on data from the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA), for first-level courts, from a case disposition rate of 53% in 2021, this increased to 60% in 2022 and to 61% in 2023.
For second-level courts, the case disposition rate for 2023 is 42%, up from 39% in 2022 and 32% in 2021.
The case disposition rate is computed by dividing the total number of decided, resolved, and archived cases by the total number of pending and newly filed cases, multiplied by 100.
In the Chief Justice’s Keynote Address to the court employees at the PACE Convention, he expressed his gratitude for their contribution as the Judiciary’s frontliners. “You are the first point of contact between our institution and the people who come to us in search of justice…Whatever your rank or position may be, the work that you do, day in and day out, is the best reflection of the kind of justice that we dispense, and of the quality of service that we provide,” said the Chief Justice.
He further thanked the court employees for serving as partners in the Court’s pursuit of reform through the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI), including in the ongoing nationwide caravan for the Pilot Implementation of the Office of the Regional Court Manager or ORCM, one of the Court’s modernization projects under the OCA.
Joining the Chief Justice at the Convention were Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, Associate Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez, and Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva, who likewise gave their respective inspirational messages.
Senior Associate Justice Leonen encouraged the court employees to work hard and be patient despite challenges, as excellence does not come in an instant. “Pa unti-unti po ito. Every day while we can, we improve upon ourselves especially since change is upon us, innovation is upon us.” He further reminded them of their privileged positions in the Judiciary and advised them to use their positions to “be a louder voice for the oppressed and be a more passionate advocate not just of the rule of law but the rule of justice.”
Justice Marquez expressed appreciation to PACE, especially its officers, with whom the Justice worked with for 12 years when he served as Court Administrator. “Bawa’t isa po sa atin ay may mahalagang ginagampanan para mapabuti ang pagtakbo ng ating hustisya. Gumawa po tayo lagi ng tama at makaka-asa po kayo na kami po sa Korte Suprema ay patuloy na mag-iisip ng mga reform initiatives para mapabuti pa ang ating hustisya at mapaganda pa ang sitwasyon o estado natin sa Hudikatura.”
Court Administrator Villanueva commended PACE’s officers and members for their role in the faster resolution of cases in the lower courts. He also reminded them to continue to work together to see to it that the SPJI succeeds and is carried out to full completion.
Likewise present at the PACE Convention were Manila Vice Mayor Yul Servo, on behalf of Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna, and Court officials Deputy Court Administrator Jenny Lind R. Aldecoa-Delorino and Supreme Court Spokesperson Camille Sue Mae L. Ting.
Chief Justice Gesmundo, Senior Associate Justice Leonen, and Justice Marquez later dropped by at the Convention’s second venue at the Manila Hotel to personally greet PACE members.
PACE is the umbrella association of first- and second-level court employees in the Judiciary. The theme for this year’s two-day Convention is Empowering Court Employees and Supporting Judicial Reform through the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo personally greets court employees attending the 19th National Convention and Election of Officers of the Philippine Association of Court Employees at the Manila Hotel on May 2, 2024. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen delivers an inspirational message on the first day of the 19th National Convention and Election of Officers of the Philippine Association of Court Employees at the Rizal Park Hotel on May 2, 2024. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Associate Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez delivers an inspirational message on the first day of the 19th National Convention and Election of Officers of the Philippine Association of Court Employees at the Rizal Park Hotel on May 2, 2024. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva delivers an inspirational message on the first day of the 19th National Convention and Election of Officers of the Philippine Association of Court Employees at the Rizal Park Hotel on May 2, 2024. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo is awarded a plaque of appreciation by the outgoing officers of the Philippine Association of Court Employees on the first day of the 19th National Convention and Election of Officers of the Philippine Association of Court Employees at the Rizal Park Hotel on May 2, 2024. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Employees from the first- and second-level courts read copies of the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 on the first day of the 19th National Convention and Election of Officers of the Philippine Association of Court Employees at the Rizal Park Hotel on May 2, 2024. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)