Alternative dispute resolution will help declog dockets—Chief Justice Gesmundo

The importance of alternative dispute resolution is important in the enhancement of access to justice as the Supreme Court put forward its Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027.

Gesmundo said ADR is not a mere procedural tool, but a testament to the Supreme Court's commitment to justice. "The path to new frontiers may be challenging, but it is through our collective dedication that we shall emerge as pioneers in the pursuit of a legal landscape where fairness, efficiency, and accessibility converge."

He said that the promotion of the use of ADR is one of the projects under the SPJI, the Court's blueprint of action for judicial reform. To declog the dockets, the Chief Justice shared that the Court is contemplating making ADR a condition before anyone can file a case before the courts.

He said this statement: "We are now working on the revisions of the Rules of Civil Procedure, and one of the major revisions that we are trying to suggest is that no case, or cases, or civil actions can be filed before any court without exhausting alternative dispute resolution and would minimize court docket congestion."

The ADR according to Gesmundo holds great potential in our efforts to increase access to justice under the SPJI. However, Gesmundo said as with other judicial reform initiatives, the success of ADR will depend on the support and cooperation of all stakeholders in the justice system.

Gesmundo cited the production in July this year of two animated instructional videos on ADR to guide litigants, mediators, and judges in the swift resolution of disputes, which was an initiative by the Office of the Court Administrator in partnership with the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development.

He shared that these videos, which he said are in an engaging format, will be used to encourage litigants "to resort to mediation, judicial dispute resolution, and other forms of ADR in and out of court, in order to dispose of cases with less time and effort on their part, and with less expense on the part of the litigants."

The videos will serve as the Court's template for disseminating not only ADR programs integrated into court proceedings relative to cases already filed but also ADR programs like conciliation and arbitration, which eventually will be made prerequisites for filing a court action.