Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo underscored the need for judges and justices to adapt themselves to modern technology that “plays a very significant role in the administration of justice.”

During the virtual convention of the Philippine Trial Judges League, Inc. (PTJLI) on Friday, Dec. 17, Gesmundo said that “change and technological advancements shall shape our society; that is why we must be ready to adapt and better ourselves.”

He told trial court judges that the judiciary “must ensure 24/7/365 access to court and case-related information and services.”

“Access to court services should not be limited to face-to-face access, especially that we have yet to see the end of the (COVID-19) pandemic,” he stressed.

He pointed out that “free and no expense access through electronic or digital means, including social media, will widen the reach of court services and bridge the gap in information between the public and the courts, and hopefully provide our people with a legitimate source of help when confronted with legal issues requiring court intervention.”

He reminded the judges that they “are the face of our otherwise faceless judicial system, the very men and women whom our populace run and redress their grievances to, the very men and women whom they can confidently address as real and actual purveyors of justice and fairness.”

“Our reputation, our prestige, and the people’s perception of our efficacy or lack thereof are anchored on the effective discharge of your sworn duties and obligations,” he added.

During their convention, Gesmundo asked judges to discuss significant issues like the expansion of the jurisdiction of trial courts as mandated by Republic Act No. 11576.

He had earlier said that RA 11576 “will no doubt help declog the dockets of our second-level courts, which in turn would lead to a faster adjudication of cases and better administration of justice.”

“Through this new law, the jurisdictional amounts of our trial courts have now been adjusted to levels which are more suitable to the current economic conditions and property valuation in the country,” he said.

RA 11576 “increased the jurisdiction amount cognizable by the regional trial courts (RTCs) – second level courts – in all civil actions which involve the title to, or possession of, real property, or any interest therein, from the previous amount of P20,000 (P50,000 in Metro Manila) to P400,000, except for forcible entry into and unlawful detainer of lands and buildings, original jurisdiction over which remains with the first-level courts.”

The law also “increases the jurisdiction of the RTCs in all actions and maritime jurisdiction where the demand or claims exceeds P2,000,000, from the previous amount of P100,000 (P200,000 in Metro Manila); in all matters of testate and intestate probate where the gross value of the estate exceeds P2,000,000, from the previous amount of P100,000 (P200,000 in Metro Manila); and in all other cases in which the demand, exclusive of interest, damages of whatever kind, attorney’s fees, litigation expenses and costs or the value of the property in controversy exceeds P2,000,000, from the previous amount of P100,000.”

For the municipal and city courts known as first level courts, the new law provides that they will have “exclusive original jurisdiction over civil actions and probate proceedings, testate and intestate, including grant of provisional remedies where the value of the personal property, estate, or amount of the demand does not exceed P2,000,000, exclusive of interest, damages of whatever kind....”

The first level courts will also have “exclusive original jurisdiction in all civil actions which involve title to, or possession of real property, or any interest therein where the amount does not exceed P400,000, exclusive of interest, damages....”

In admiralty and maritime cases, first level courts have jurisdiction on amounts not exceeding P2,000,000.

At the same time, Gesmundo reiterated to the judges the SC’s five-year “strategic plan” to make the country’s courts “consistently efficient and accountable havens for the disadvantaged, the wronged, the injured.”

“Once and for all, the Judiciary must deliver its services, both adjudicative and administrative, real time,” Gesmundo declared.

He said the five-year plan until 2006 is founded on four guiding principles, namely:

“The Filipino people deserve a judiciary possessed of competence, integrity, probity, and independence.

“The Judiciary must provide equal access to justice real time.

“Public confidence in the Judiciary is dependent on transparency and accountability.

“Technology must be the platform on which the basic court systems and processes run.”

During his speech, Gesmundo congratulated Associate Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez who had been appointed SC member after serving for more than a decade as head of the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) which supervises for the SC all lower courts in the country.

He said that Justice Marquez “will truly be invaluable to the Supreme Court as we embark on reforms and innovations in the Judiciary, particularly in the operations of the lower courts.”

Aside from the PTJLI members who participated during the virtual convention, Gesmundo acknowledged Philippine Judicial Academy Acting Chancellor, retired SC Justice Mariano C. del Castillo; OCA Officer-in-Charge Deputy Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva; Deputy Court Administrators Jenny Lind Aldecoa-Delorino and Leo T. Madrazo; and PTJLI President Judge Crislyn Pangindian Sancho.

Towards the end of his speech, Gesmundo told the judges:

“Even as technology and innovations are enhancing and making better our judicial services, you must not forget to discharge your duties with the same fervor whether or not the litigants are physically present in court. As trial court judges, you are the Judiciary's frontliners, and as frontliners, you are the reflection of the Judiciary.”