SC Holds 1st Judiciary-Wide Mental Health Summit
October 26, 2023
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, SC Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez, and SC Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting pose for posterity with Justices of the Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, and Sandiganbayan, SC officials, trial court judges, and court employees who participated during the National Mental Health Summit 2023: First Judiciary-Wide Mental Health Summit on October 26, 2023 held at the Supreme Court-Court of Appeals Gymnasium in Ermita, Manila. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo today led the historic National Mental Health Summit 2023: First Judiciary-Wide Mental Health Summit, the first summit on mental health organized for government employees at the Supreme Court-Court of Appeals Gymnasium in Ermita, Manila.
In line with the target outcome of Efficiency under the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 to promote better mental well-being for members of the Judiciary, court officials, and court personnel, the Court, through the SC Governing Council for Mental Health and the SC Office of Administrative Services, organized the Summit themed “A Path to Enhance Effectivity and Efficiency.” It coincides with the celebration of World Mental Health Month this October.
In his keynote message during the Summit, Chief Justice Gesmundo underscored: “The Court acknowledges the need to address both the physical and mental well-being of our Justices, Judges, and court personnel not only to drive performance excellence or improve the delivery of court services, but also to protect and safekeep our home life.”
The Chief Justice cited the Court’s initiatives regarding mental wellness, noting that in November 2022, the Court convened the SC Governing Council for Mental Health chaired by Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez and co-chaired by Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh. The Court also reconstituted the SC C.A.R.E.S. Program, which aims to raise awareness on the importance of mental health and well-being in the Judiciary through education, guidance, intervention, and rehabilitation.
A Mental Health Unit with a Mental Health Helpline was also launched in the Court in December 2022. Soon, Mental Health Units will also be established in different court levels.
On August 22, 2023, the Court, in A.M. No. 23-08-08-SC, likewise approved the inclusion of a mental health program to the coverage of a unified Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) for the Judiciary. The Court also developed a Judicial Burnout Assessment App for first and second-level court judges.
“We aspire to prevent mental health risks by raising awareness that anxiety and depression can afflict anyone, by eradicating the social stigma surrounding these mental conditions; and by assisting affected employees obtain professional counseling,” he emphasized.
In closing, Chief Justice Gesmundo urged everyone in the Judiciary to “extend a helping hand to one another, and to care and understand, for in our act of uplifting others, we too elevate and uplift ourselves.”
“Through this, we all emerge stronger, grow more united, and ultimately, become more effective in the service we pledged to render,” he added.
For his part, Justice Lopez, in his Opening Remarks, emphasized that efficiency in the performance of duties requires good mental health. He stressed that “mental health is inseparable from our duty to administer timely, accountable, inclusive, and technologically adaptive justice.”
Joining the Chief Justice and Justice Lopez during the Summit were SC Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen and SC Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting. The Summit was also attended by Associate Justices of the Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and Court of Tax Appeals, as well as SC officials, trial court judges, and court employees.
Renowned mental health practitioners, field experts, and thought leaders discussed topics such as mental health issues; balancing work, family, and relationships among colleagues; and interventions and methods to combat anxiety, depression, and stress within the context of the Judiciary. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo delivers the keynote message during the National Mental Health Summit 2023: First Judiciary-Wide Mental Health Summit on October 26, 2023 held at the Supreme Court-Court of Appeals Gymnasium in Manila. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez, Chairperson of the SC Governing Council for Mental Health, delivers the opening remarks during the National Mental Health Summit 2023: First Judiciary-Wide Mental Health Summit on October 26, 2023 held at the Supreme Court-Court of Appeals Gymnasium in Manila. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo poses for posterity with (from left) Atty. Antonio Ceasar R. Manila from the Office of the Chief Justice, SC Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez, SC Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, SC Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, SC Clerk of Court En Banc Atty. Marife M. Lomibao-Cuevas, Judge Rosalyn M. Loja of Br. 41 of the Regional Trial Court of Manila, and Deputy Clerk of Court and Chief Administrative Officer Atty. Maria Carina A. Matammu-Cunanan during the National Mental Health Summit 2023: First Judiciary-Wide Mental Health Summit on October 26, 2023 held at the Supreme Court-Court of Appeals Gymnasium in Ermita, Manila. Atty. Manila, Atty. Lomibao-Cuevas, Judge Loja, and Atty. Matammu-Cunanan are members of the SC Governing Council for Mental Health chaired by Justice Lopez. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
