Can judges accept ripe mangoes from litigants?

The fifth session of the Supreme Court’s Ethics Consultative Caravan held in General Santos City aimed to address ethical dilemmas faced by the judiciary, that include whether judges and personnel should accept small tokens of appreciation, such as ripe mangoes, from grateful litigants.

Judges from South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani participated for an open dialogue with the SC’s Sub-Committees tasked with reviewing the Code of Conduct for Court Personnel and the New Code of Judicial Conduct for the Philippine Judiciary.

Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, chair of the committees, are focused on updating ethical standards.

Those who presented their proposed revisions include judges and court administrators, tackling key ethical principles such as Independence, Propriety, Impartiality, Equality, Competence, Diligence and Accountability.

Singh in addressing the participants, reminded the officials and employees of the judiciary that ethics “is always a matter of choice.”

“Everything is a matter of choice for you. When we speak about ethical behavior, that is what it is all about. It’s always a matter of choice. You will never be placed in a position where you have to do something against your will. You always have the last say,” Singh said.

The ethics caravan final session will take place in Manila in November 2024 in which the initiative is supported by the European Union through the Governance in Justice II Programme.

Input gathered from participants in the Caravan will be collated and evaluated for consideration before the Supreme Court hands down the final version of the two codes.