Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo disclosed that the transition to electronic filing for civil cases in first and second level courts will commence this 1 December.

The initiative falls under the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI), following the recent completion of the establishment of six pilot Offices of the Regional Court Manager and ongoing regional consultations on proposed amendments to the Rules of Criminal Procedure, among other developments.

“In all these and more, we strive to harness the best of innovation — not just in terms of technology, but also in the sense of improving our systems and processes — and enable better collaboration, all towards building bridges for justice: justice that is responsive, that is dispensed effectively and efficiently, that is delivered in real time,” he said.

Gesmundo stressed, however, that “after instituting reforms comes much harder work —that of sustaining them, propagating them, and nurturing a spirit of constant improvement and innovation in our institution, during our pursuit of the SPJI and well beyond, all towards enabling the swift delivery of justice.”

He highlighted the significant role of judges in “driving collaboration and innovation” in their courts and communities and expressed gratitude for their hard work and dedication.

He also expressed hope that judges will continue to be the Court’s partners in ensuring that “the reforms we plant today will take deep root and spread wide in the years to come.”

Additionally, trial court judges were encouraged to continue performing their indispensable task of “building bridges for justice” toward a more progressive future for our nation and its people.