Gesmundo: Justice system needs coordination, not silos

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo batted for closer coordination among justice-sector institutions while stressing that cooperation must not come at the expense of their distinct constitutional mandates and the independence of the judiciary.

The call was made by Gesmundo on Monday as he led the two-day Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC) Summit in Manila, one of his final major engagements as chief justice before his mandatory retirement on 6 November.

The summit, being held Sept. 21 to 22, brings together the Supreme Court, Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Local Government and other justice-sector stakeholders to assess efforts to improve coordination, cooperation and communication across the justice system.

He said the administration of justice is necessarily a collective effort even though different institutions have separate constitutional and statutory responsibilities.

“Our administrative order entrusts different aspects of the administration of justice to institutions with distinct mandates, responsibilities, procedures, and institutional cultures,” Gesmundo said.

He also said, “These distinctions are essential. They preserve the constitutional balance among the branches of government, and most importantly, protect the independence of the judiciary."

But distinct mandates should not mean disconnected work, Gesmundo said.

“For the person who encounters the justice system, the institutional boundaries are seldom apparent,” he said.

“The challenge is not to dissolve the boundaries between institutions, but to understand the point where those boundaries live.”

The CJ said coordination should allow each institution to carry out its own mandate while recognizing how its work connects to the broader justice system.

“It does not ask institutions to surrender their independence, or to assume responsibilities that belong to another,” he said.

“Rather, it asks each institution to exercise its own mandate with an understanding of the larger process of which its work forms a part.”

He cited the country's Justice Zones as a concrete example of this approach.

Gesmundo said the Justice Zones were established on the premise that coordination should not remain a concept discussed at the national level but should reach the communities where justice is actually administered.

Over time, he said, the 20 Justice Zones had evolved to respond to the specific circumstances and challenges of the communities they serve.

He cited specialized approaches for cases such as environmental offenses, which require distinct investigative, evidentiary and technical considerations.

Gesmundo said the initiatives, showed that coordination must respond to realities on the ground and translate inter-agency cooperation into actual improvements in the delivery of justice.

The JSCC has been working through Justice Zones to improve coordination among justice-sector agencies and address problems in the delivery of justice at the local level. There are now 20 Justice Zones nationwide.

Gesmundo said the experience had reinforced his view that institutions are strongest when they remain faithful to their respective mandates and constitutional boundaries while understanding how their work connects with that of other institutions.

“As the work of the council continues, I hope to detail what these years have taught us,” he said, adding, “For in the end, the administration of justice is neither the work of one institution nor the sum of institutions working separately. It is a common endeavor.”

The remarks of Gesmundo come less than two months before he steps down as the country's 27th chief justice. He will reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 on 6 Nov.

The Judicial and Bar Council has begun the process of selecting his successor and has invited the five most senior associate justices of the Supreme Court to apply for the post. The deadline for applications and nominations is 13 Oct.

Gesmundo has served as chief justice since 2021 and as a member of the Supreme Court since 2017.

His remarks at the summit thus came as the judiciary prepares for a leadership transition while the justice sector continues efforts to strengthen coordination among institutions with separate but interconnected responsibilities.