Chief Justice holds first presscon in DLSU

After one year in office, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno met with various media representatives earlier today in a press conference held at the Henry Sy, Sr. Hall. The event was organized by the Judiciary and the DLSU College of Law (COL) spearheaded by COL Vice Dean Jocelyn Cruz. Sereno says the press conference is in line with the Supreme Court’s goal of transparency.

First issue: pork barrel?

One of the questions brought up during the press conference was the issue on the misuse of  Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or widely known as pork barrel, which stirred violent public outcry from many Filipinos.

When asked to comment on the contentious issue, the Chief Justice opted for a “dignified silence”, explaining that the press conference was not meant for discussion of socially controversial and ongoing cases, as well as discussing politics.

“When the case is finally before us… we will speak through our decision”, assured the Chief Justice Sereno afterwards.

Congestion of courts

When faced with the question of how the Supreme Court is addressing the problem of slow processing of trials, Sereno explains that “there is no single solution to the congestion of court dockets.” She explains that with the aid of volunteer law school students, case inventories are being organized and decongestion plans are in the works.

She adds, “Even most efficient judge cannot push the wheels of justice faster.” Methods to expedite cases are currently being studied. Because it is the legislature and not the judiciary that allocates the number of judges, the most the Supreme Court does at the moment is to designate several judges from provinces with lower court activity to assist in processing busier dockets.

Other concerns discussed in the press conference include the need for better funding and logistics of the judiciary, court disposal rates, the judiciary’s constant search for the “best and brightest” minds to work as judges, and most common misconceptions of the branch.