Chief Justice Gesmundo Highlights Judiciary’s Role in Nation-Building, Discusses Reform Initiatives under SPJI
February 2, 2024
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, as keynote speaker at the Supreme Court-Justice Reform Initiative (SC-JRI) 2024 Justice Summit: Freedom through Justice Reform held on February 1, 2024 at the Makati Diamond Residences, Legazpi St., Makati City, highlights the Judiciary’s role in nation-building as he discussed the ongoing judicial reform initiatives under the Supreme Court’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI). (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo has highlighted the Judiciary’s role in nation-building as he discussed the ongoing judicial reform initiatives under the Supreme Court’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI).
In his keynote speech at the Supreme Court-Justice Reform Initiative (SC-JRI) 2024 Justice Summit: Freedom through Justice Reform held at the Makati Diamond Residences, Legazpi St., Makati City on February 1, 2024, Chief Justice Gesmundo expressed hope that the Court’s efforts under the SPJI will reassure the business sector that the Judiciary is not only mindful of its areas for improvement, but that the Court is actually doing something about it. He said: “We are serious in our commitment to the reform and betterment of our institution and the people who comprise it. And we are grateful to the JRI for having been our partner since 2015 in these common aspirations.”
The Chief Justice expressed satisfaction over the result of the survey conducted by the JRI on the public’s perception on the integrity of the Judiciary, which was presented during the Justice Summit.
The survey, which was approved by the Supreme Court’s education and training arm, the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA), was conducted by JRI in 2023 among the key stakeholders with focus on the business sector. The JRI also held focus group discussions (FGDs) which centered on “Integrity and Decorum,” as well as “Competencies, Court Processes, Technology, and Reforms Awareness.” The JRI is a private sector umbrella organization composed of leading business organizations, judicial advocacy groups and foreign chambers of commerce in the Philippines.
On the survey results for Integrity, 75% of the respondents said that the Supreme Court “independently acts and decides cases based on the facts and the law, and is not influenced by any other factor outside the merits of the case.” The Court of Tax Appeals got 73%, the Court of Appeals 70%, and the trial courts 62%. The survey also showed that a high 82% of respondents said that when the Supreme Court issues decisions, “the parties can easily understand the legal bases and rationale.” Meanwhile, the Court of Appeals got 81%, the Court of Tax Appeals 79%, and the trial courts and 73% when asked if their decisions are easily understood by the parties.
“Coming from the business community, this result is a solid affirmation that the majority of our courts are viewed as independent and trustworthy. This is also validation of our premise that it is the lack of awareness and understanding that drives public distrust, because people who understand the court processes and procedures find the system reliable,” the Chief Justice said.
With regard to Decorum, court personnel (from the Branch Clerk down) were reported to be “very accommodating and respond immediately to requests and clarifications from the litigants,” 82% for the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Court of Tax Appeals, and 69% for the trial courts.
On Court Processes, the Supreme Court was rated by 55% as “hear[ing] and decid[ing] assigned cases efficiently and without unnecessary delay;” the Court of Appeals 48%; the Court of Tax Appeals 45%; and the trial courts 35%. On the enforcement of decisions, the Supreme Court fared at 73%, the Court of Appeals at 69%, the Court of Tax Appeals at 63%, and the trial courts at 46%.
On Competencies, 38% of respondents replied that they have encountered an incompetent judge, while 52% have encountered incompetent court personnel.
On Awareness of Reform Initiatives, 89% agreed that Small Claims “provides a simplified and less costly way.”
On Technology, 96% of the respondents said that the Court should adopt technology in the conduct of hearings, in the filing of pleadings and motions, and in the service of court notices to the parties.
Chief Justice Gesmundo gave an update on the ongoing initiatives by the Court under the SPJI to show what the Judiciary is already doing or plans to do in each of the focus areas identified by the JRI, to reassure them of the Court’s commitment to nation-building.
He took pride in saying that the Court is pursuing a Campaign for Ethical Responsibility. Last year, the Court launched the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA), which is the code of ethical conduct for all lawyers. He added that the Code of Judicial Conduct is also undergoing revision.
He stressed that as a co-equal branch of government, the Judiciary can only truly be effective by working together with the Executive and the Legislative Departments, which does not necessitate sacrificing its institutional independence. He cited the creation nationwide of Justice Zones, which showcase the sector approach to delivering justice services through communication, cooperation, and collaboration among the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and all agencies and offices attached to them.
The Chief Justice further said PHILJA is continuously conducting ethics programs for judges and court personnel. Likewise, he said that the Court is presently undertaking an organizational restructuring of the Judicial Integrity Board (JIB) to make it more efficient by streamlining the process for the filing of and disposition of administrative cases.
To complement this, the organizational work for the establishment of the Office of the Judiciary Marshals (OJM) has commenced with the opening for vacancy of the top positions in the OJM.
The Chief Justice said that the Court, to foster transparency and accountability, is digitizing adjudicative and administrative systems which will allow the public, in general, and the court users, in particular, to pinpoint responsibility at any given phase of a court litigation or administrative transaction. Such will also provide real-time access to the status of their cases/transactions and the next steps.
Furthermore, the Chief Justice said that the Court is currently reviewing rules of procedure to adopt a simplified and unified procedure for the faster and less costly hearing and disposition of cases. The Court, in March 2022, adopted the Expedited Rules of Procedure in all First Level Courts, which includes the Rule on Summary Procedure as well as the Rule on Small Claims. Likewise, the Court has increased the threshold for Small Claims to P1Million.
The Court is also updating the Rules on Video Conference Hearings (VCH), to permanently include VCH in every trial judge’s toolkit, meaning, it may be resorted to whenever it will help facilitate a speedier and less expensive resolution of the dispute.
The Court has also published the Book of Judicial Forms, now available on the Supreme Court website, which will help both judges and litigants alike through the introduction of ready-made forms and templates of the most commonly-used court forms.
The reorganization of the Office of the Court Administrator is also being undertaken to decentralize its functions by downstreaming them to Regional Court Managers, who will be closer to the courts they will service.
The Court has also continued promoting the Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms, and its Court-Annexed Mediation program.
Likewise, the Chief Justice mentioned the Judiciary Enterprise ICT Governance Framework, the eCourts Version 2.0, and the Judiciary Electronic Payment Solution (JePS), and eFiling of pleadings and other court-bound papers.
The Court also completed the Digitalized Benchbook for Philippine Trial Courts. He also cited the Court’s use of social media platforms to disseminate information about Court decisions and reform activities, complemented by informational videos, printed materials, including comic strips.
The Chief Justice concluded by saying that although much remains to be done, the Court will reach its goal with the support of organizations such as the JRI.
Joining the Chief Justice were Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda, Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez, Associate Justice Antonio T. Kho, Jr., and Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh.
Also present was Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva.
The Justice Summit was aimed at addressing long-standing issues in the judiciary, with a particular focus on bolstering public trust. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo and (seated, from left) Associate Justice Antonio T. Kho, Jr., Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda, Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez, and Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh pose for posterity with officials of the Justice Reform Initiative (JRI) at the SC-JRI 2024 Justice Summit: Freedom through Justice Reform held on February 1, 2024 at Makati Diamond Residences, Legazpi St., Makati City. (Standing, from left) Atty. Teodoro Kalaw, IV – Vice President, JRI; Mr. Jose Jerome Pascual III – President, JRI; Atty. Francisco Ed. Lim – Chair, JRI; Ms. Sherisa P. Nuesa – Board Adviser, JRI; and Atty. Alexander B. Cabrera – Vice Chair, JRI. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo receives a token of appreciation from Atty. Francisco Ed. Lim, Justice Reform Initiative (JRI) Chair at the SC-JRI 2024 Justice Summit: Freedom through Justice Reform held on February 1, 2024 at Makati Diamond Residences, Legazpi St., Makati City. Looking on are (left) Mr. Jose Jerome Pascual III, JRI President and (right) Atty. Cesar Villanueva, JRI Justice Summit Committee Chair, Trustee and Compliance Chair. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh receives a token of appreciation from (left) Atty. Cesar Villanueva, Justice Reform Initiative (JRI) Justice Summit Committee Chair, Trustee and Compliance Chair and (right) Mr. Jose Jerome Pascual III, JRI President during the SC-JRI 2024 Justice Summit: Freedom through Justice Reform held on February 1, 2024 at Makati Diamond Residences, Legazpi St., Makati City. Justice Singh, according to JRI, has “actively participated and relayed Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo’s review of the survey results, highlighting the strong points of performance, and what needs to be improved.”(Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)