Chief Justice Peralta vows reforms
THE NEWLY appointed Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta yesterday vowed to weed out misfits from the Judiciary as part of his 10-point agenda.
During flag-raising ceremonies at the Supreme Court building in Manila, the chief magistrate said the court may start the investigation of personnel even in the absence of a complaint.
Mr. Peralta also vowed to eliminate case backlog, require clerks of court to conduct a periodic inventory of pending cases, automate court processes and use technology in trials and hearings.
He also plans to strengthen the Office of the Court Administrator and implement a Judicial Integrity Board. The tribunal will also set up a 24/7 help desk to improve the security of magistrates, he said.
The chief justice said he would continue the programs of his predecessor Lucas P. Bersamin particularly on the clinical legal education program. He also promised to prioritize the welfare of court employees.
Mr. Peralta vowed to lead by example, calling on officials and employees of the Supreme Court to unite and follow the rules to help him achieve his plans for the Judiciary.
He promised to continue to improve the revised Rules of Court, monitor the performance of courts, and improve procurement and bidding processes to quicken the implementation of projects.
“As the 26th chief justice of the Supreme Court, and as a long-time public servant, I will lead by example,” Mr. Peralta said in his speech.
Mr. Peralta, who was appointed on Oct. 23, inherited 1,128 judicial and administrative cases when he was promoted to the high court in 2009 and managed to reduce these to 300 to date “due to sheer diligence and passion for work,” according to the high court. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
