“No longer should the judiciary be shrouded in myths and speculations”, says Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno in a press conference held in De La Salle University last August 28.
For the first time since stepping into office in 2012, Sereno met with various media representatives to tackle issues and address questions and concerns in a move meant to achieve the Supreme Court’s goal of being more transparent. The event was organized by the DLSU College of Law (COL) in partnership with the Public Information Office of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, spearheaded by COL Vice Dean Jocelyn Cruz.
An efficient judiciary?
Sereno tackled several issues surrounding the judiciary in the press conference. One is the problem of delayed litigation processes, which result in almost 40 percent of annual criminal cases being dismissed by complainants because of multiple postponements in case processing.
According to Sereno, one of the reasons for this delay is because of the imbalance between the lawyers and prosecutors. Often, a prosecutor is left to hand several cases at the same time, which leads to some of these cases being constantly postponed. “There must be 1:1 correspondence,” she says.
The Electronic Court System and Judicial Affidavit Rule were implemented to address this issue. First used in the Quezon City court last June, the Electronic Court System stores the status and details of cases filed, eliminating the need for manual paperwork processes. Meanwhile, the Judicial Affidavit Rule is expected to dramatically cut down the period of court proceedings as these require the use of judicial affidavits containing questions and answers of witnesses, given under oath, instead of conducting direct testimonies in court hearings. These affidavits are submitted prior to the case or conference.
“When it is in full operation, it will cut down the litigation operation time by 50 percent,” tells Sereno.
When faced with the question of how the Supreme Court is addressing the problem of slow processing of trials, Sereno explains, “There is no single solution to the congestion of court dockets.” With the aid of volunteer law school students, case inventories are being organized and decongestion plans are in the works.
She adds, “Even the 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.
Metro Manila, CALABARZON, Angeles, and the Cebu Metropolitan Area were cited as the busiest and most congested dockets.
Supreme Court transparency
Sereno also disclosed the details of Judiciary Development Fund (JDF), revealing that collection had reached P1 billion within a year. From this amount, P870 million was allocated to its employees across the country. The remaining amount from JDF collection “will be used for capital outlay and other equipment purchases.”
Calls were made for the government to allocate more funds to the Judiciary in order to be more efficient in handling the cases and its operations. The Chief Justice expresses the need to invest in better infrastructure and logistics, telling that most courts are housed in run-down buildings. Such environments, she laments, are not conducive to work and hearings.
She assures, however, that “every single centavo is fully audited”.
Her disclosure is in line with the Supreme Court’s goal of total transparency, in order to renew the public image of the judiciary. Sereno states that the branch would like the public to be involved in the development and reform of the judiciary system.
Dignified silence
On the issue of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), otherwise known as pork barrel, Sereno opted to maintain a “dignified silence”, explaining that the decision will speak for itself once the case is formally and officially brought to court.
She also chose to remain silent after being asked to comment on the budget allocation process in light with PDAF, saying, “Prudence dictates that I cannot respond.”
Judiciary for everyone
Sereno pointed out that the judiciary is not satisfied with the current system, and said that they are often misinterpreted of being happy with the way things are going.
She clarifies, “That we are happy with the way things are; that is the biggest misconception. We are actually unhappy.
“We know your sufferings. We know how difficult it is for any family to sustain a litigation process for a long term. And we especially know what it is for a breadwinner of a poor family to be in jail,” said Sereno afterwards, ensuring that the members of the judiciary are “racking their brains” to solve the issues still plaguing the branch.
Amidst reforms, Sereno tells of the judiciary’s continuous search for the “best and brightest to populate the judge population.” The willingness to be set apart from social, political, and financial positions, and the prudence to act without bias and without fear of consequences are vital qualities she says are needed in aspiring judges.
