Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo lauded clerks of court for their “valuable assistance” as they help judges and interact directly with the public involved in the prosecution of cases.

Gesmundo also reiterated his call for support for the High Court’s blueprint for judicial reform — the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI).

“The office of the clerk of court is the hub of activities, both adjudicative and administrative,‟ he said after administering the oath of office to the national executive officers and regional directors of the First Level Clerks of Court of the Philippines at the SC’s en banc session hall on Thursday.

He highlighted the indispensable role clerks of court play in the adjudication of cases and court management.

“Unlike your judicial superiors, you, clerks of court, deal directly with the public relative to matters pending before their particular courts,” he said. “You interact with litigants, counsels, witnesses, law enforcement authorities, and other public officers involved in the prosecution of cases.”

Gesmundo said clerks of court personally attend even to non-judicial concerns, intricately and inseparably interwoven with the trial and adjudication of cases.

“It has been said that the success of a court is dependent not just on the presiding judge but also on his or her clerk of court. Indeed, you provide valuable assistance to judges who by themselves alone cannot make the court function as it should,” he said.

He added that clerks of court rise to the challenge by demonstrating admirable flexibility in adjusting to the “new normal” with the resumption of court operations and the introduction of remote video conferencing and electronic filing of pleadings and documents.

This adaptability and resilience, he said, will prove helpful to the SPJI, which is anchored on four core principles – Timely and Fair Justice, Transparent and Accountable Justice, Equal and Inclusive Justice, and Technologically Adaptive Management – all aimed at three critical outcomes – Efficiency, Innovation and Justice.

He said it pursues one overarching goal: the delivery of responsive and real-time justice.