SC resolves more cases than new petitions

MANILA, Philippines — For the first time in the past several years, the Supreme Court has been able to resolve more cases than the number of new legal issues brought before it in 2021 as it posted a case clearance rate of 110 percent.

According to records from the high court’s Office of the Clerk of Court, the 15-member tribunal settled a total of 3,975 judicial cases from Jan. 1 to Dec. 20.

This figure was higher than the 3,603 new cases and one reinstated case that were filed in the country’s highest judicial body during the same period.

“[This accomplishment is] a ray of light in a year that has been marred with work suspensions, limited movement and restrictions due to the pandemic,” Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said in a statement.

“[It] speaks volumes of the court’s strength in staying true to its commitment of service to the nation and its people,” he said.

Besides handing down decisions on judicial issues, the tribunal had also resolved 1,176 administrative and bar-related matters this year.

Honorable work

This was likewise higher than the 1,116 new administrative cases filed within the 12-month period, resulting in a case clearance rate of 105 percent.

But the justices had yet to decide on a total of 8,391 judicial cases and 2,230 administrative matters, many of which had been clogging the court dockets for years.

Court records showed that the Supreme Court had a case clearance rate of 87 percent in 2017, 99 percent in 2018, 96 percent in 2019 and 95 percent in 2020.

Sustained reforms

Gesmundo, who had vowed to prioritize the decongestion of the court dockets after President Duterte designated him to head the judiciary in April, thanked his fellow magistrates for instituting reforms that helped them resolve pending cases swiftly.

He said among the changes were the amendments to the high tribunal’s internal rules that made the “processes and practices of the court more responsive and more efficient.”

The modifications strictly imposed a deadline for the deliberations and the submission of the individual written opinions of the justices on the cases they were discussing, Gesmundo said.

“Likewise, my fellow justices and I have resolved to decide all petitions, cases or matters that have been filed before the Supreme Court after April 5 strictly within [a] 24-month period from [the] date of submission,” the Chief Justice said.

He said this was in deference to Section 15(1), Article 7 of the Constitution, which set the period for the justices to resolve cases assigned to them.

Interestingly, an impeachment case was filed against Associate Justice Marvic Leonen last year for his supposed failure to resolve 37 cases within the 24-month deadline.