By Rey Panaligan
The Society for Judicial Excellence (SJE), in collaboration with the Supreme Court (SC), has opened the nominations for outstanding judges and clerks of court for its 2019 Judicial Excellence Awards.
The SC’s public information office (PIO) said the deadline for the nominations is on May 31, 2019 and all requirements must be submitted on or before June 29, 2019.
The PIO said “all nominations should be addressed to the Permanent Secretariat, Society for Judicial Excellence, 2nd Floor, Supreme Court Annex Building, Padre Faura, Manila, with tel. no. (02) 525-1301 or through e-mail at [email protected].”
The awarding ceremonies will be held on Sept. 19, 2019.
The award categories for judges are for the regional trial court, metropolitan trial court/municipal trial court in cities/municipal circuit trial court/municipal trial court, and Shari’a circuit trial court, and for clerks of court (first and second level courts) and branch clerks of court (first and second level courts).
The PIO said “the SJE, through its Screening Committees and Board of Judges, will take into consideration the nominees’ integrity and moral character as public servants and private citizens, demonstrated competence, efficiency, effectiveness, independence of mind, judicial decorum, and knowledge of the law.”
Eight trial court judges and a clerk of court were the recipients of the 2018 Judicial Excellence Awards. They were honored in a ceremony last November 8 at the Pandanggo Hall of the historic landmark Manila Hotel.
The 2018 awardees were Judge Nadine Jessica Corazon J. Fama of the regional trial court (RTC), Branch 79, Quezon City as the Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano Awardee; Judge Loreto S. Alog, Jr. of RTC Branch 69, Lingayen, Pangasinan as the Chief Justice Abad Santos Awardee; Judge Elisa Sarmiento-Flores of RTC Branch 71, Pasig City; Judge Dorcas P. Ferriols-Perez of RTC Branch 84, Batangas City; and Judge Maria Bernardita J. Santos of RTC Branch 35, Manila as the Chief Justice Ramon Avanceña Awardees for the Outstanding Second-Level Court Judge category.
Judge Ana Theresa T. Cornejo-Tomacruz of the metropolitan trial court MeTC) Branch 21, Manila and Judge Joel Socrates Lopena of MeTC Branch 33, Quezon City as the Outstanding Metropolitan Trial Court Judge Awardees; Judge Ira Fritzie C. Cruz-Rojo of municipal trial court (MTC) Branch 3, Antipolo City as the Outstanding Municipal Trial Court Judge Awardee for the Outstanding First-Level Court Judge category; and Atty. Perpetua Socorro O. Enriquez-Belarmino of the RTC Branch 8, Cebu City as the Outstanding Branch Clerk of Court (Single Sala) Awardee for the Second-Level Branch Clerk of Court category.