Chief Justice: 'Fresh start for Supreme Court in 2019'

MANILA, Philippines — Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin sees a fresh start for the judiciary this 2019 after hurdling challenges last year.

Bersamin said the new year should herald a better and stronger judiciary as he called on judicial officials and personnel to move forward from 2018, which was highlighted by the ouster of chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno by her colleagues in the Supreme Court (SC).

“The year that was did test the SC’s resilience. We encountered daunting and consequential challenges. Let us take the time to take stock of these challenges and discern our experiences and learn from them guided by a renewed hope, fresh start and new vision,” he said in his New Year’s message. “The new year signifies a new beginning that we must fuse with a genuine effort for reformation and improvement – for ourselves, our families, our work and our country.”

Bersamin, who will serve as Chief Justice until October, reiterated his plan to implement reforms to improve the country’s judicial system.

“We in the judiciary are obliged to build on the positive undertakings of the past to bring about more meaningful changes and make our courts more accessible, accountable, efficient and responsive to the needs of the public. We are committed to embark on new initiatives in accordance with our tasks to promote justice and uphold the rule of law,” he said.

Bersamin had revealed his four-point agenda for the judiciary, which includes updating of the Rules of Court, purging the bench of misfits and scalawags and the adoption of legal clinics to enhance access to justice.

He said he plans to “update our procedural rules to make them attuned to technological developments,” admitting that the Rules of Court still have provisions that cause delay in the resolution of cases.

Apart from adjudication, he believed that updating the rules “is a basic, if not the other important function of the court under the Constitution.”  

Bersamin cited the need for reforms that will make the judicial system responsive to the public clamor for quick dispensation of justice.

He also vowed to cleanse the judicial ranks and institutionalize changes that are designed to expedite the administration of justice. 

Bersamin lamented the “strong perception” in the provinces that justice is only for the strong, the influential and the wealthy. 

“Those judges and employees in the provinces who have contributed to this wrong perception about the judiciary will have to go,” he said.

Bersamin also wants reforms in the Bar exams and improvement of legal education by adopting best practices abroad.