The judiciary’s constitutional mandate is not merely on the adjudication of cases filed before the courts but also the duty “to combat corruption and dismantle structural barriers that impede access to justice through concrete and sustained institutional reforms.”

This was underscored by Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh who pointed out that there is urgency of restoring public trust and reinforcing the rule of law more than just adjudication of cases.

Justice Singh delivered her lecture entitled “The Supreme Court’s Role in Combating Corruption and Bridging Access to Justice: Saying What Needs to Be Said, Doing What Needs to Be Done.”

The lecture was delivered during the 7th Narvasa Lecture Series at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) last Feb. 21.

The Narvasa Lecture Series is a flagship academic forum hosted by the UST Law Review, the student-edited legal journal of the UST Faculty of Civil Law.

Named in honor of the late former Chief Justice Andres R. Narvasa, the lecture series invites distinguished jurists and legal scholars to speak on pressing issues affecting Philippine law and society.

Justice Singh pointed out the SC’s vital role in upholding integrity, strengthening accountability, and ensuring meaningful access to justice.

Citing the Constitution’s declaration that public office is a public trust, the lady magistrate underscored “the Judiciary’s duty to uphold honesty, integrity, and accountability through concrete and enforceable mechanisms.”

She said the fulfillment of the duty “requires proactive institutional leadership by strengthening ethical standards, ensuring transparency, and enforcing accountability within the ranks of the judiciary itself.”

She cited the reforms on integrity initiatives instituted by the SC under its Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI).

Among the initiatives were the adoption of strengthened and updated ethical codes of conduct for lawyers, court officials and personnel, and judges; the reorganization of the Judicial Integrity Office (JIO) to streamline the investigation of administrative complaints against judges, court officials and personnel; the creation of the Office of the Judicial Marshals to provide investigative support to the JIO and ensure confidentiality within the Judiciary; the establishment of Mental Health and Well-being Units across judicial regions, in recognition that institutional integrity also requires safeguarding the wellbeing of those who administer justice; and, the expansion of Justice Zones to improve inter-agency coordination and case disposition at the local level.

On access-to-justice initiatives, Justice Singh cited the ongoing jail decongestion efforts and the need to ensure that persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) fully benefit not only from statutory remedies, but from overall humane and sensitive treatment as espoused in the Constitution.

She stressed that “justice must be concrete and accessible, particularly for the most vulnerable.”

She urged the lawyers and law school deans who were present during the lecture series, and the members of the legal profession and the academe to assist qualified PDLs in availing of the benefits of Good Conduct Time Allowance, as she stressed that meaningful justice includes proper implementation of the laws affecting liberty.

Citing the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct, Justice Singh said that “judicial integrity must be institutionalized through enforceable mechanisms, not merely aspirational statements.”

At the same time, Justice Singh cited survey results indicating that a majority of stakeholders continue to believe that the courts decide cases based on the facts and the law, free from outside influence.

Thus, she said, the reservoir of trust must be preserved and strengthened through consistent action and transparent leadership.

She also said: “Our history has taught us that it is not enough that the Judiciary is doing the right things. The public must also know that it is doing the right things.”