The Supreme Court (SC) launched on Thursday, Jan. 26, its Digitized Benchbook for use by trial court judges in resolving cases, particularly in the writing of resolutions and decisions.
The Benchbook contains information on laws, rules, jurisprudence, and topics concerning the courts which will aid the judges in their research when crafting their rulings and in carrying out their tasks, the SC’s public information office (PIO) said.
An initiative of the Philippine Judicial Academy, the judiciary’s education and training arm, the Benchbook is part of the SC’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI), it said.
It also said the Digitized Benchbook is a re-affirmance of the SC’s commitment “to give all the necessary assistance and support to our trial court judges so they can effectively perform their duties to dispense justice and maintain the rule of law for a peaceful and orderly society.”
In his message during the launch, the PIO said that Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo stressed the need “to have all the resource materials at our fingertips to aid the members of the Bench in writing continuously and to not lose their momentum.”
“This digitized Benchbook for Philippine Trial Courts is intended to contain the updated pertinent laws, treaties, rules, regulations, and jurisprudence, and the latest issuances of the Supreme Court, each of themsearchable, downloadable, user-friendly and ready for use,” Gesmundo said.
“Surely, there is no denying that keeping all these necessary information in one sourcebook for our trial courts will be a tremendous boost to our efforts in expediting court decisions and unclogging court dockets,” he said.
He also said: “This goal reflects the Court’s unwavering commitment to give responsive and real-time justice to our people.”
Present during the launch were Executive Secretary and retired Chief Justice Lucas P. Bersamin, Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, Associate Justices Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, Jhosep Y. Lopez, Antonio T. Kho, Jr., and Maria Filomena D. Singh.
Also in attendance also were PhilJA Chancellor Rosmari D. Carandang, PhilJA Vice Chancellor Mariano C. del Castillo, Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Remedios Salazar-Fernando, Court of Tax Appeals Presiding Justice Roman G. del Rosario, Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva, and Dean Sedfrey M. Candelaria, chairperson of the
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