The Supreme Court of the Philippines will begin the transition to mandatory electronic filing of select cases starting 1 July 2025, in a significant step toward modernizing the country's judicial system.

SC spokesperson Atty. Camille Ting announced Thursday that the Court en banc approved the new guidelines during its 20 May 2025 session.

Under the transition guidelines, from 1 July to 30 September 2025, lawyers filing covered cases before the Supreme Court must submit both paper and electronic copies of their pleadings via the E-Court PH application, which is available through the Philippine Judiciary Platform (PJTP). By 1 October 2025, electronic filing will become mandatory, and paper submissions will no longer be accepted.

Covered cases include Petitions for review on certiorari (Rule 45), Reviews of judgments and final orders from the Court of Appeals, the Commission on Elections, or the Commission on Audit (Rule 64), Petitions for certiorari, prohibition, or mandamus (Rule 65), Petitions for contempt, Petitions for prerogative writs (including habeas corpus, amparo, habeas data, the writ of kalikasan, and continuing mandamus), and Quo warranto actions.

Lawyers must register and verify their credentials on the PJTP before filing. Subsequent pleadings for ongoing cases filed from 1 July onward will also be subject to the same digital requirements.

Non-lawyers — such as law student practitioners, court sheriffs, and other court personnel not part of the Philippine Bar — will continue to file via traditional means, including personal submission, registered mail, or accredited couriers.

Ting emphasized that the new digital system will drastically reduce the time required for serving pleadings and issuing court resolutions. Once a document is submitted via the PJTP, opposing parties are notified by email and can immediately access case files online. Resolutions from the Court will also be delivered through the same system.

“In terms of speed and efficiency, this will be a game-changer,” Ting said. “Lawyers and parties will no longer need to wait days for notices to arrive. Everything is delivered instantly through the platform.”

On the matter of cybersecurity, Ting reassured the public that strong protections are in place to secure sensitive information. At present, only lawyers and involved parties may access uploaded files. Public access to decisions, especially those of public interest, may be introduced in the future.

For now, the E-Court PH system applies exclusively to the Supreme Court, but the judiciary is planning to expand its use to the Court of Appeals and lower courts. While a timeline for rollout to these courts has yet to be finalized, Ting noted that “so far, so good” has been the initial feedback on the platform’s performance.