Gesmundo bares Judiciary’s efforts to address slow processes, delays

MANILA, Philippines — Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo on Thursday assured the business sector that the Judiciary is aware of the areas that need improvement and that they are taking action to address them.

Based on the survey conducted last year by the Justice Reform Initiative (JRI), which was approved by the Philippine Judicial Academy, 75 percent of the respondents believed the court processes, services, and delays are too long and burdensome, while 69 percent mentioned high litigation costs, particularly lawyers’ fees.

READ: Ease of doing business still firms’ top concern in PH 

The JRI is a private sector initiative composed of leading business organizations and foreign chambers of commerce in the country.

In his speech during the Supreme Court-Judicial Reform Initiative 2024 Justice Summit, Gesmundo outlined the efforts being undertaken by the Judiciary in order to improve commercial transactions and hasten the resolution of commercial cases.

“When there is no guarantee that an investor’s rights will be protected in a timely and efficient manner, even the most attractive business opportunities will engender uncertainty and hesitation,” CJ Gesmundo said.

“The bottomline is every business decision entails a menu of costs, and legal compliance and enforcement will always be an item to reckon with,” he added.

Among the efforts mentioned by the Chief Justice include the continued campaign for ethical responsibility through strict implementation of the New Code of Professional Responsibility (CPRA), which provides detailed rules on conflict of interest, the use of social media, and reasonable lawyers’ fees.

He also mentioned that there is currently an ongoing revision of the 20-year-old Code of Judicial Conduct, updating of the Code of Conduct for Court Personnel, and organizational restructuring of the Judicial Integrity Board to make it more efficient by streamlining the process for the filing of and disposition of administrative cases.

Meanwhile, on delays, Gesmundo said the Court is currently in the process of reviewing rules of procedure for a simplified, unified procedure for the faster and less costly hearing and disposition of cases.

He added that they are also updating the Rules on Video Conference Hearings (VCH), which the judiciary heavily relied on at the height of the pandemic.

“We are now revising the rules to permanently include VCH in every trial judge’s toolkit, meaning it may be resorted to whenever it will help facilitate a speedier and less expensive resolution of the dispute.

“Hence, instances when distance poses a logistical burden to any party or witness, or when illness or other impediments to mobility (like age) exists, the courts will be allowed to resort to VCH,” he noted.

He added that the SC-Public Information Office (PIO) will also be coming out with a comprehensive plan regarding the medium of expression in court proceedings for better understanding.

“We have resorted more to the use of social media platforms to disseminate information about Court decisions and reform activities. We are also using informational videos, printed materials, including comic strips, to cater to different classes of court users,” he added.

Gesmundo said the Judiciary is aware of its parts that still need work.

“I hope that the court’s efforts I have outlined will reassure the business sector that the Judiciary is not only mindful of our areas of improvement but we are actually doing something about it,” he said.

He added: “Much remains to be done…We are serious in our commitment to the reform and betterment of our institution and the people who comprise it.”

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