Judges work to make wheels of RP justice turn faster

Justice Mariano del Castillo sits inside his room in the main hall of the Court of Appeals without the bulk of unresolved cases on his desk, contrary to what the public has come to expect of a judge.

A "Justice George A. Malcolm" plaque modestly displayed at the corner of the shelf pretty much explains it all. He was recognized as the "Best Performing Justice" in 2004 for having zero backlog — ending the work year without a single pending case in his office.

Filipinos often lament that the wheels of justice in the Philippines turn exceedingly slowly. This slow-paced justice system is seen as the root cause of several problems, including worsening overcrowding inside the country’s prisons.

Some members of the judiciary are trying to change that. Last June, the Supreme Court ordered all lower court judges to review pending cases under their respective courts.

Judge Perpetua Atal-Pano cannot boast of zero backlog yet, but she disposed of 2,000 cases last year — an accomplishment that earned her a "Commitment to Justice" award from the Rotary Club of Manila.

She, along with five other trial judges and five justices of the Court of Appeals, were honored by the Rotary Club of Manila in ceremonies at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City last Nov. 17 for being true to their sworn oath to be "tools of justice, swiftly and fairly administered."

‘A systematic man’

Del Castillo believes that four simple things are necessary to become an effective servant of justice: setting the goals straight, effective time management, dedication to work and a good staff.

"I have always been a systematic man. I don’t think I am (a) workaholic. I just want to finish my job right away and see to it that I end each day with a clear mind," he said when The STAR visited him at his office.

Del Castillo assumed his current post in August 2001 as one of the two first appointees of President Arroyo in the appellate court. A pile of 350 pending cases, which were all submitted for decision or completion, was what welcomed him.

The first thing he did was to come up with a timetable and a formula to enable him to resolve all pending cases in at least three years.

Apart from the cases left for him to resolve, some 10 to 15 cases are regularly raffled off to Del Castillo every month.

Del Castillo decided to gradually reduce the pending cases by increasing his productivity to at least 20 cases per month. This way, he would be able to dispose of the pending cases and at the same time attend to the new cases assigned to him.

Del Castillo gives priority to older and more difficult cases, which he believes are often ignored. He says he simply practiced the "first in, first out" rule.

He also believes in leading by example — he has not traveled on official time since he was appointed to the Court of Appeals. He leaves his office at 8 p.m. almost every day.

"I always tell my colleagues here that our primary task is to decide on cases. Seminars, trips and all the rest are secondary. It’s just like in school, when you know that you have to cope with the academics you would not dare engage in extracurricular activities," Del Castillo said.

When asked about other sacrifices he had to make to meet his self-imposed goal, Del Castillo believes his job already has enough constraints to begin with. "An ideal judge is a judge with no friend since he or she has to be independent and impartial."

The first thing he does in the morning is to prepare a schedule, and he ends each day with "examination of conscience by asking myself whether I was harsh to anyone or I glorified the Lord with my decisions."

In expediting cases, Del Castillo also makes it a point to ensure that justice is not jeopardized. His goal is to never make a decision that will eventually be revised by the Supreme Court and he has been successful so far.

Del Castillo, who completed his law degree at the Ateneo De Manila University in 1976, does not "give a second chance to graft and corruption. Once an employee is involved an anomaly, it’s as simple as (saying) goodbye."

He delegates work to his staff depending on their familiarity with the issues involved in a case and their specialization, and promotes a mutual bond of trust with them.

Del Castillo considers his staff "the most important factor in expediting the disposal of cases," saying they have been "very efficient, competent, loyal and cooperative." In his acceptance speech for the award given by the Rotary Club of Manila, he specifically shared the award with them.

He believes that having a staff that would "understand me every time I wake up on the wrong side of the bed" was a big help in achieving his goal.

Del Castillo’s formula apparently worked — since October 2004, he has disposed of all the cases pending in his office.

Through his award, he hopes to set an example for other judges to end the public perception of the justice system in the country as "slow-paced and corrupt."

"A lot of people just keep on saying it and do nothing at all. You have to be part of the solution. It’s just like parenting: you cannot have your kids follow your own rules if you don’t follow them yourself," Del Castillo said.

He said being a good judge is a good way of providing service to the people. "Only a life lived for others is worth living. Service is the rent we pay in Heaven with our brief stay here on Earth."

Del Castillo has been in the judiciary for16 years. He started as municipal trial court judge in San Mateo, Rizal in 1989 and was promoted to regional trial court judge in Angeles City in Pampanga three years after.

In 1995, he was assigned to the Quezon City regional trial court, where he was appointed first vice executive judge until his appointment in the Court of Appeals. He also became a director and executive vice president of the Philippine Judges Association.

Del Castillo makes it a point to ask for divine guidance from God in every decision he makes.

‘My job is my mission’

tal-Pano, of Makati Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 66, was recognized as the best performing MTC judge for resolving over 2,000 cases last year. She shares the same philosophy as Del Castillo.

"I start my day in court with a prayer. There is no greater wisdom than that coming from God. My job is my mission. Where you work is where God planted you so in everything you do, each day and each act, give glory to the Lord by serving others," she said.

Atal-Pano, 49, said her life is a life of public service guided by God’s hands and God’s wisdom, "for He is the ultimate judge to us all."

She told The STAR she was able to resolve more than 2,000 cases because she does not "waste any time. I work even at home," adding that she could not have resolved so many cases without the help of her very supportive staff.

Atal-Pano described the caseload of an MTC judge as "grabe (terrible)," saying she was given almost 7,000 cases when she was appointed to Makati City’s MTC Branch 66 in 2001.

"I work overtime, I don’t go home at 5 p.m. I usually go home at 7 to 8 and on Fridays 9 to 10 p.m.," she said.

Atal-Pano said she was able to meet her goal of resolving as many cases as she can as an MTC judge before she was elevated to Makati City’s Regional Trial Court Branch 134 last June 2005, where she was given an initial load of 360 cases.

Atal-Pano considers herself a "reconciliation judge" since most of the cases she resolved ended in settlements because she would call on both sides to reconcile "so they can enter into settlements or compromise agreements, thus ending legal wars."

Atal-Pano, outside the courtroom, is married to Diosdado, a financial audit analyst at the Court of Appeals. They have three daughters: Maria Teresita, 21, is a nurse, and 20-year-old Diana Abigail and Marian Pauline, 17, are in college at the University of Sto. Tomas.

Atal-Pano said her daughters once told her that they do not want to be lawyers like their mom because she earns so little. Smiling at the idea, she said she told her daughters that "mommy chose to serve in the government and, first and foremost, it’s about service to the country and to your fellowmen and not earning money to be rich."

Atal-Pano, a graduate of San Beda, said she never got the chance to go into private practice after passing the bar because she married almost right after becoming a lawyer.

Her first job was a researcher at the Court of Appeals (CA) until she became a state prosecutor of the Department of Justice (DOJ) before eventually becoming a judge.

As a judge, she has been nominated twice for an Outstanding Judge Award by the Supreme Court’s search for judicial excellence but said she was never able to really compete because she failed to submit all requirements during both nominations because she had so much work to do.

Atal-Pano now handles a lesser number of cases as an RTC judge but bigger and more controversial ones like that of the killing of ABS-CBN television irector Luigi Santiago who was shot dead outside a bar in Makati City last June 8.

The Rotary Club of Manila also conferred awards to other MTC judges: Judge Maria Elisa Diy, of Quezon City MTC Branch 34, in second place with 1,873 cases resolved; Judge Encarnacion Moya - Balbastro, of Makati City MTC Branch 62, in third with 1,642 cases.

In the regional trial courts category, Judge Emmanuel Laurea, of Malabon City RTC Branch 169, won first place with 684 cases solved in 2004. Judge Eduardo Tanguanco, of Bacoor, Cavite RTC Branch 89, came in second while Judge Priscilla Mijares, of Pasay

City RTC Branch 108, was in third place.

Apart from Del Castillo, the only judge to have zero backlog for the year, four other CA justices were runners-up: Justice Portia Alino - Hormachuelos, a candidate for the post of Presiding Justice of CA, in second place; Justices Conrado Vasquez Jr. and Remedios Salazar-Fernandez, tied for third place; and Justice Rodrigo Cosico in fifth.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Jr., who is set to retire on Dec. 15, personally handed out awards to the winners at the ceremonies.