Criminal court rules revisited

To speed up the notoriously slow judicial process, the Supreme Court is revisiting the rules of procedure after more than two decades since the last changes were introduced.

A series of discussions have been conducted on the proposed amendments to the Rules of Criminal Procedure, the first leg of which was held at De La Salle Lipa (DLSL) in Batangas last Thursday, 8 August.

Updating the rules is under a project led by Supreme Court Associate Justice Rodil Zalameda, chairperson of the Supreme Court Sub-Committee on the Revision of the Rules of Criminal Procedure.

It is in line with the SC’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI) which has three target outcomes, including Efficiency, Innovation and Access.

Under Innovation, the Court seeks to review procedural rules such as the Rules of Criminal Procedure to make court processes and proceedings more user-friendly and more understandable to ordinary court users.

Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, in an address, said the rules must evolve to reflect the realities of the time and ensure these remain potent tools for the fair, transparent and timely delivery of justice.

Embracing technology

He underlined the role of technology in the administration of justice, adding that adapting to modern ways was a necessity.

Gesmundo said the proposed amendments will integrate all the relevant jurisprudential doctrines and other pertinent procedural rules for easy reference.

There are currently different rules applicable to a specific criminal case, such as the Revised Guidelines for Continuous Trial of Criminal Cases, the Rule on Cybercrime Warrants, and the Rule on the Use of Body-Worn Cameras in the Execution of Warrants.