Chief Justice Pays Tribute to Court Clerks for Valuable Assistance, Reiterates Call to Support SPJI
January 19, 2024
Chief Alexander G. Gesmundo gives words of encouragement to the newly elected officers of the First Level Clerks of Court of the Philippines (FLECCAP) shortly after he administered their oath taking at the En Banc Session Hall on January 18, 2024. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo paid tribute to the clerks of court for their “valuable assistance” as they assist judges and interact directly with the public involved in the prosecution of cases, and reiterated his call for all to support the Court’s blueprint of action for judicial reform, the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI).
Speaking shortly after he administered the oath of office to the national executive officers and regional directors of the First Level Clerks of Court of the Philippines (FLECCAP) on January 18, 2024 at the En Banc Session Hall, Chief Justice Gesmundo said that “the office of the clerk of court is ‘the hub of activities, both adjudicative and administrative.’”
The Chief Justice highlighted the indispensable role clerks of court play in case adjudication and court management. “Unlike your judicial superiors, you, clerks of court, deal directly with the public relative to matters pending before their particular courts. You interact with litigants, counsels, witnesses, law enforcement authorities, and other public officers involved in the prosecution of cases,” he said.
The Chief Justice added that court clerks personally attend even to non-judicial concerns, intricately and inseparably interwoven with the trial and adjudication of cases. He said: “It has been said that the success of a court is dependent not just on the presiding judge but also on his or her clerk of court. Indeed, you provide valuable assistance to Judges who by themselves alone ‘cannot make the Court function as it should.’”
Furthermore, the Chief Justice said that the court clerks rose up to the challenge by demonstrating admirable flexibility in adjusting to the “new normal” with the resumption of court operations and the introduction of remote videoconferencing and electronic filing of pleadings and documents.
He stressed that this adaptability and resilience will prove useful to the Court’s SPJI, which is anchored on four core principles – Timely and Fair Justice, Transparent and Accountable Justice, Equal and Inclusive Justice, and Technologically Adaptive Management – and aimed at three critical outcomes – Efficiency, Innovation and Justice. It pursues one overarching goal: the delivery of responsive and real-time justice.
“We cannot overemphasize that the SPJI is necessary to reinvigorate and retool the judicial system. The Court must consistently be proactive and continuously innovate at this time of greater uncertainties and challenges. We must adapt our mindset to new realities and optimize technology to improve the administration of justice,” the Chief Justice said.
The Chief Justice also reminded them of the importance of taking care of one’s mental health, as well as discussed about the Office of the Judiciary Marshals, the Judicial Integrity Board, and the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo administers the oath of office to the 2024-2025 national executive officers of the First Level Clerks of Court of the Philippines (FLECCAP) led by its National President, Mr. Gerardo K. Baroy (next to Chief Justice Gesmundo) of MTC, Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental, at the En Banc Session Hall, Supreme Court on January 18, 2024. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo administers the oath of office to the 2024-2025 regional directors of the First Level Clerks of Court of the Philippines (FLECCAP) at the En Banc Session Hall, Supreme Court on January 18, 2024. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo poses for posterity with the 2024-2025 national executive officers and regional directors of the First Level Clerks of Court of the Philippines (FLECCAP) shortly after their oath taking at the En Banc Session Hall, Supreme Court on January 18, 2024. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)