SC launches 5-year plan for judicial innovations

MANILA, Philippines — In a bid to address institutional challenges in the judiciary, the Supreme Court (SC) launched on Friday its five-year “Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027” (SPJI), aimed to bear three outcomes: efficiency, innovation and access.

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said in his speech that the SPJI is their plan of action, which will be implemented using four guiding principles: timely and fair; transparent and accountable; equal and inclusive; technology adaptive.

The SPJI aims to establish new frameworks and adopt new approaches, and build on and repurpose existing judicial approaches “to achieve the longtime aspiration of delivering responsive and real-time justice” in the Philippines.
It is also a plan dedicated “to promoting the best interests of the litigants, the Bench, the Bar, court officials and personnel” including all stakeholders in the country’s justice system.

Gesmundo said that the SPJI is the product of the collective efforts of all 15 SC justices, as he thanked the former members of the judiciary, especially the retired chief justices who have been instrumental in the drafting of the SPJI.

Retired chief justices Teresita Leonardo-De Castro and Diosdado Peralta were present during the launch of the SPJI at the SC Session Hall, along with Civil Service Commission Chairman Karlo Nograles, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra and other government officials.

Gesmundo also emphasized that the SPJI will continue to work through various consultations and discussions with the court’s stakeholders “to make every single one of these programs viable, workable and reasonable so that they will be easy to embrace and adopt.” 
“I have no doubt that [the SPJI] is our only bridge to a tomorrow that will usher in the advent of responsive and timely justice for the Filipino people,” Gesmundo said.

Under the SJPI, the SC streamlines court systems and operations based on the needs of internal and external stakeholders to dispense efficient justice by setting various activities including the judiciary-wide organizational review and restructuring, creating SC management committee and a planning and development office.

It also establishes a caseflow management program and constitution of the judiciary caseflow management committee; launches a more inclusive and more responsive judiciary health and welfare program and institutionalizes a socialized health insurance system for officials and employees, among others.

The SC will also promote innovation by way of modernizing court processes and operations; strengthening information and communication technology governance, management and operations; effective use of data in policy and decision-making and upgrading information sharing in the justice system.

In providing accessible justice for all, the SC vowed to enhance its public access to information and legal services; strengthen legal aid initiatives; strengthen the foundations of Shari’ah justice and promote gender fairness and inclusivity.