Very soon, court rooms will be empty of people litigating their cases as the Supreme Court (SC) has decided to allow the conduct of all court proceedings through video conferencing.
“In line with our efforts towards a technology-driven Judiciary, we have decided to allow the conduct of all court proceedings through videoconferencing even after the end of the (Covid-19) pandemic,” Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo said in his speech during the 130th anniversary celebration of the Philippine Bar Association (PBA) in Makati City last Friday evening, Sept. 9.
Gesmundo said “the SC Committee on Virtual Hearings and Electronic Testimony is now working on the rules.”
Video conferencing “is live, visual connection between two or more remote parties over the internet that simulates a face-to-face meeting.” It “joins people who would not normally be able to form a face-to-face connection.”
At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, the SC allowed trial courts and appellate courts to conduct hearings via fully remote video conferencing which was pilot-tested in various courts in late 2019.
Chief Justice Gesmundo pointed out that “technological advances are already shaping how we work and how we live; indeed, they are already reshaping society itself -- and we must be ready to adapt and utilize them for our benefit, and for the benefit of the people we serve.”
He then told the PBA officers and members of the SC’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations (SPJI) for 2022-2027 which “weaves together the many different ideas, aspirations, plans, and proposals of the Court En Banc for the pursuit of one overarching goal: the delivery of justice real time.”
He said SPJI is anchored on “timely and fair justice, transparent and accountable justice, equal and inclusive justice, and technologically adaptive management” to achieve “efficiency, innovation and access.”
On “efficiency,” Gesmundo said that “both adjudicative and administrative shall be streamlined based on the needs of stakeholders both inside and outside the judiciary” and “the performance of Justices, Judges, and court officials and personnel shall also be effectively monitored and evaluated.”
On “innovation,” he said “we will shift and run all our adjudicative and administrative processes to an automated platform” and “we will use the most appropriate and secure technologies, including artificial intelligence for legal research and court operations.”
“Another crucial activity under this (innovation) outcome is the Revision of the Rules of Procedure. Hard data points to our antiquated rules as a primary source of delay in the resolution of cases. We are already addressing this through the various rule revision committees and working groups at work,” he said.
On “access,” the Chief Justice said: “We will work towards bringing our services faster, closer, and more efficiently to the people. We will start with enhancing public access to information and legal services by strengthening our legal aid initiatives.”
He said a National Summit on Legal Aid and National Summit on Clinical Legal Education will be held. He added that “the foundations of Shari’ah Justice will be enhanced through an institutional review that will include the Shari’ah legal education system and rules of court.”
He then cited projects and activities under the SPJI that have been accomplished and fully implemented like the Rule on Facilitated Naturalization of Refugees and Stateless Persons, Rules on Expedited Procedures, and Rules of Procedure for Municipal.
One of those being done, in coordination with the Philippine Judicial Academy – the education arm of the SC – is the module for the implementation of the Rules on the Use of Body-Worn Cameras by law enforcers in serving warrants and in other operations.
Gesmundo also cited that “to achieve our goal of mainstreaming gender inclusivity and equality not only in our institution but through our decisions, we have adopted the first-ever organic Guidelines on the Use of Gender Fair Language and Courtroom Etiquette for the Judiciary, among other initiatives.”
He then asked the PBA’s support. “I hope that the Court can also count on you to push for both the adoption of these reforms in the judiciary, and the adaptation of your peers in the profession to innovations and technological advances. I urge you to invest in the skills and resources needed to enable the shift that we envision,” he said.
With the Chief Justice during the PBA’s anniversary celebration were Associate Justices Ramon Paul L. Hernando, Rodil V. Zalameda, Jhosep Y. Lopez and Jose Midas P. Marquez.
The PBA, the country’s oldest voluntary organization of lawyers founded in 1891, are now led by President Rodelle Bolante; Vice Presidents Joel Raymond Ayson, Ernestine Carmen Jo Villareal Fernando, Peter Irving Corvera and Rodolfo A. Gamboa; Treasurers,
Rachelle Aileen Santos and Chrysilla Carissa Bautista; Corporate
Secretaries Ian Ray Malilong and Arnel Victor C. Valena; members of the Board of Trustees, Jose Luis Agcaoili, Joel Raymond Ayson, Rico Domingo, Alfredo Molo III, Miguel Luis Orosa, Victor Emmanuel
Pangilinan, Jose Raulito Paras and Joseph Manolo Rebano; and Council of Advisers Avelino Cruz, Jr., Rodel Cruz, Ruben Fruto, Llewellyn Llanillo and Fina Bernadette De La Cuesta-Tantuico.