The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday, July 23, launched its online payment of legal fees for small claims cases in 970 first level courts – municipal trial court, municipal circuit trial court, municipal trial court in cities, and metropolitan trial court.
Represented by Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez, the SC signed during a virtual ceremony a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with EasyPay Global EMI Corp. represented by its President, Paul Ian Chan.
Marquez said that starting Monday, July 26, first level courts can accept conveniently online payments for small claims cases through the Fortune Pay Mobile Application.
He said that “once a payor has secured an assessment of fees from the Clerk of Court (COC) or Acting Clerk of Court (ACOC), he or she can either manually select the court station or scan the corresponding QR Code required to be posted in the payment windows or bulletin boards of the court.”
“After input and confirmation of the payment details, the payor shall present a screenshot of the Transaction ID for verification of the payment through an online portal for the issuance of the Official Receipts,” he explained.
“With more than 20,000 small claims filed in the country per year since 2016, the move is anticipated to significantly make payments easier especially within cities with the highest volume of small claims cases such as Pasig City, Makati City and Quezon City in National Capital Region and Cagayan De Oro City, Tagum City and Tandag City in the provinces,” he said.
“The new payment facility will also enable court stations to increase transparency and accountability through real-time payment verification and management via the Fortune Pay Online Portal,” he added.
Marquez pointed out that “through this electronic wallet, we hope to continue the digitalization of vital court processes while providing users with better access to the courts.”
The e-payment services of Fortune Pay is the newest addition to the growing roster of collection channels that will be later on integrated with the Judiciary ePayment Solution currently being developed by the SC.
Last month, Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo said that his tenure will focus on case decongestion and a technology-driven judiciary. He will serve as Chief Justice until Nov. 6, 2026, his 70th birthday.
On case decongestion, Gesmundo said that he and his colleagues have agreed to prioritize the resolution of aging cases in the next 24 months.
On technology, Gesmundo said the SC will utilize fully the “eCourt System” to cover “ePayment,” “eFiling,” “eRaffle” of cases and digitalized rollo (case records).
The use of video conferencing and online filing of cases were among the measures adopted by the SC to assure that courts are in operation despite the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Now, he said, the SC will utilize technology to fully implement the “eCourt system.”
“The establishment of an eCourt System will provide a unified, comprehensive, and intelligent case management system for the entire Judiciary. An eCourt System is envisioned to cover the functions of online payment or ePayment; online filing or eFiling; online raffling of cases, or eRaffle, and the maintenance of digitalized rollo or records of cases,” the Chief Justice said.
He added that technology would be utilized fully to strengthen legal research, performance evaluation, anti-corruption programs, public assistance, and speed up the preparation of transcript of stenographic notes.