Peralta to conduct surprise court visits

MANILA, Philippines — All court personnel should always be on their toes as the Supreme Court (SC) is expected to enforce heightened productivity with Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta committing to make surprise inspections, in a bid to address the backlog of cases pending in courts.

Peralta, the 26th chief justice, recently said that he would be conducting surprise visits to courtrooms to make sure that court officials and personnel report to work on time and are rendering efficient service to the people.

“I am sure you have already heard that I do conduct unannounced visits to our courts and offices. This is not meant to micro-manage their affairs, but to remind them of their accountability to the office they serve,” he said. 

“It would not make sense to have a huge backlog of cases, complain about the process, yet feel free and remorseless about coming to work at 11:30 a.m.,” he added.

Peralta, who describes himself not as a workaholic but someone who “loves to work,” is known for his speedy disposition of criminal cases. He has made it his personal agenda to resolve the large volume of backlog.

“One of the greatest challenges of the Court is its mammoth docket,” he said. 

As of December 2018, there are 8,852 cases pending before the SC; 19,732 cases in the Court of Appeals; 5,237 cases in the Sandiganbayan; 1,353 cases in the Court of Tax Appeals; 546,182 cases in regional trial courts; and 160,153 cases in first level courts.

In order to address this problem, they would conduct periodic inventory of cases and for the SC full bench to study what is choking up the system, according to the SC.

Another approach is “to have a clear monitoring of the courts’ performance, especially in the observance of reglementary or prescribed periods to resolve cases, not only to ensure that our constitutional obligations and duties are performed, but also as a means to recognize and reward those who elevate the quality of justice in the country,” Peralta added.