SC Reiterates Call to All Lower Court Judges, Personnel to Support SPJI During Malolos, Bulacan HOJ Visit
August 5, 2023
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, together with Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando (2nd from left), Associate Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez (2nd from right), Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh (rightmost), and Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva (leftmost) held a dialogue with the first- and second-level court judges and employees of Bulacan at the Bulacan State University on August 4, 2023. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
The Supreme Court reiterated its call for lower court judges and personnel to give their full support to the Court’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI) during a visit to the Hall of Justice (HOJ) of Malolos, Bulacan on August 4, 2023.
The call was made by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo and Associate Justices Ramon Paul L. Hernando, Jose Midas P. Marquez, and Maria Filomena D. Singh, who, together with Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva, had a dialogue with the judges and personnel of the first- and second-level courts of Bulacan at the Bulacan State University (BSU). The dialogue was preceded by an ocular visit in the Malolos, Bulacan HOJ.
“The success and failure of the SPJI largely depend on you,” said Chief Justice Gesmundo, as he stressed the importance of adapting to technology especially since that the SPJI is geared towards a technology-driven Judiciary.
In previous speaking engagements before lower court judges, the Chief Justice has consistently said that they are the Judiciary’s frontliners who form the base of the pyramid, which is the foundation of the structure of the Judiciary. He has underscored that “the strength of the Judiciary lies on the first- and second-level courts.” “If the base is weak, expect that those in the upper level will collapse. As frontliners, you are the reflection of the Judiciary,” the Chief Justice stressed.
Justice Hernando, who is the Chairperson of the Court’s Plantilla Committee, assured everyone that “no displacement will be made in the Judiciary” as the Judiciary moves forward in the implementation of the SPJI, where the use of artificial intelligence is considered. He also discussed what the Court has been doing in upgrading certain salary grade items in accordance with the Civil Service Rules.
Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva, member of the Plantilla Committee and chairperson of the Technical Working Group on the Review of the Plantilla Items for the First- and Second-Level Courts, was also present during the dialogue.
Justice Marquez, for his part, updated the lower courts on the status of the Office of the Judiciary Marshals.
Justice Singh briefly discussed the SPJI’s three target outcomes: Efficiency, Innovation, and Access. The SPJI is anchored on four guiding principles—Timely and Fair Justice, Transparent and Accountable Justice, Equal and Inclusive Justice, and Technologically Adaptive Management—and aimed at the said three outcomes.
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo visited the Hall of Justice (HOJ) of Malolos, Bulacan on August 4, 2023. The Malolos, Bulacan HOJ had been inundated by floodwaters brought about by Typhoons Egay and Falcon. With Chief Justice Gesmundo is Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Joining Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo in his visit to the Malolos, Bulacan Hall of Justice on August 4, 2023 are (from right) Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando, Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, and Associate Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando, Associate Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez, Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, and Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva pose for posterity with the judges and employees of the first- and second-level courts of Bulacan after the conclusion of the dialogue with the Justices held at the Bulacan State University on August 4, 2023. (Courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)