Mission accomplished: Peralta says 10-point agenda for judiciary fulfilled

Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta said on Monday (March 22) said he almost accomplished all of his 10-point program that he promised to implement during his tenure as the country’s top magistrate.

“I am pleased to say that in spite of the pandemic, almost all of the items in my Ten-Point Program have come into fruition,” he said during his last flag raising ceremony at the SC as chief justice.

During his tenure as chief justice, Peralta said the SC “formulated and approved 18 procedural rules and guidelines meant to improve the administration of justice and address the problem of clogged court dockets.”

“We have restructured and streamlined the plantilla of various offices, divisions, and services of the Court so as to guarantee security of tenure for the employees and to improve our processes,” he cited.

“We have established the Judiciary Public Assistance Section, or JPAS, to promptly receive and act on concerns, issues, suggestions, and other relevant matters 4 including complaints against erring court officials and employees,” he added.

Peralta said the SC also created the Judicial Integrity Board (JIB) “to further prevent and curb corruption in the Judiciary.”

He noted that the SC also “made it our advocacy to promote the importance of mental health awareness and alternative sources of livelihood among our officials and employees.”

His 10-point program are: 1) the elimination of backlog in the Supreme Court and all other courts; 2) the implementation of duly approved Revised Rules of Court and the continuous revision of the Rules of Court and other rules of procedure and for the PhilJA to focus on skills-based training for judges and court personnel; 3) the automation of court processes and the incorporation of court technology in hearings and trials; 4) the weeding out of misfits from the Judiciary and to adopt a system where the Court may initiate on its own, the investigation of cases being handled by members of Judiciary even in the absence of complaints; 5) the strengthening of the Office of the Court Administrator and implementation of the Judicial Integrity Board; 6) the strengthening and improvement of the security of our Justices, Judges, and Halls of Justice; 7) the setting up of a 24/7 help desk in the Office of the Chief Justice and other offices to receive the concerns of court users; 8) the monitoring of performance of all courts as regards the observation of reglementary periods; 9) the improvement of procurement and bidding processes, for faster and more timely implementation of projects; and 10) the creation of a Strategic Planning and Management Unit under the Program Management Office, which shall focus on the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of court projects geared towards court-specific goals associated with the country’s national development plan.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)