The Supreme Court (SC) has reminded all judiciary officers and personnel on their responsible use of social media or they “face administrative sanctions.”
The responsible use of social media was among the matters proposed and discussed as the SC started in Iloilo City last week its Ethics Caravan for the Proposed New Code of Conduct for Court Personnel and the Proposed New Code of Judicial Conduct for the Philippine Judiciary.
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, in his keynote message, reaffirmed his commitment at the start of his tenure as head of the judiciary to “ensure a strong ethical regime for both the bench and the bar.”
In a press briefer, the SC’s Public Information Office (SC-PIO) said the Chief Justice stressed that the broader campaign for ethical responsibility was articulated in the court’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI) which has the target outcomes of “Efficiency, Innovation, and Access.”
Gesmundo said the campaign for ethical responsibility falls under the target outcome of “Efficiency.”
“When lawyers, judges, and courts and their personnel are ethical, they are sure to be efficient,” he said.
The Chief Justice explained that the ethics caravan on the proposed two Codes is a continuation of the earlier caravan held by the SC to finalize the crafting of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA), which was launched in 2023.
Gesmundo said the SC wants to ensure that, like the CPRA, both Codes – issued in 2004 -- are thoroughly reviewed and brought up to date to remain relevant in contemporary times.
He said the proposed Codes will stress the importance of accountability and outline responsibilities even for the family members of judges and court personnel.
He also pointed out that the two proposed Codes which are specific to the judiciary “are crucial, given the nature of the Court’s work, and that these Codes must remain reflective and responsive to the public's needs and realities.”
Also during the Iloilo City caravan, Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, the chairperson of the Sub-Committee for the Review of the Code of Conduct for Court Personnel and the Sub-Committee for the Review of the New Code of Judicial Conduct for the Philippine Judiciary, said that the proposed new Codes adopted the values-based orientation of the CPRA.
Justice Singh emphasized that the stakeholders who will be impacted by the Codes were invited to the caravan to allow them to participate in these consultations before the SC, as a full court, discusses the draft and finalizes them.
Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva and Court of Appeals Associate Justice Geraldine Fiel-Macaraig, vice chairpersons of the Sub-Committee for the Review of the Code of Conduct for Court Personnel and the Sub-Committee for the Review of the New Code of Judicial Conduct for the Philippine Judiciary, respectively, gave the closing remarks during the morning and afternoon sessions.
The succeeding legs of the caravan will be held on August 9 in Lipa City; August 23, Davao City; September 5, Bacolod City; September 18, General Santos City; and November 8 in Manila.
Also present during the Iloilo City caravan were Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, and Associate Justices Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, Rodil V. Zalameda, Jhosep Y. Lopez, and Antonio T. Kho Jr.