SANTIAGO F. DUMLAO JR. l February 22, 2023 l Business Mirror
THIS is an invitation for the business community to be acquainted with the “Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations,” or “SPJI.” This was launched last October 14, 2022 by the Supreme Court and details the specific programs and projects being undertaken or to be undertaken for judicial reform.
It has become a tiresome complaint of businessmen and others that the courts are slow in their processes, resulting in effectively denying justice to litigants. We rant against corruption and incompetence, bias and palakasan (rent seeking), complicated procedures and inaccessibility of judicial services, etcetera, etcetera.
We should read the SPJI document (https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/spji/), listen to the Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo and watch the very informative materials of the Public Information Office of the website of the Supreme Court, available on their website and other social media platforms. And take comfort and hope.
The SPJI is a product of consultations with various stakeholders and, for a strategic plan, it passes the tests of comprehensiveness, do-ability, specificity of tasks, identification of responsibilities, measurability of performance and clarity of purpose.
The SPJI describes what is to be done and how it shall be done and why it must be done. It is “The Road to Responsive and Real-Time Justice.”
It is anchored by four guiding principles:
- Timely and fair justice;
- Transparent and accountable justice;
- Equal and inclusive justice; and,
- Technologically-adaptive management
To achieve the following outcomes:
1. Efficiency;
2. Innovation; and,
3. Access.
There is available online a digital booklet that explains all these items. It is worth spending time to read this document. Then to ponder and seek ways on how to participate in getting these outcomes achieved —for we can, as stakeholders in the business sector.
But there is nothing like listening to the Chief Justice express his resolve to get things done during his term. I listened to him and watched him present the SPJI during the Management Association of the Philippines inaugural meeting last January 31. His vision for reform was very clear. His words carried the force of steadfast purpose. His voice was assertive and confident.
We have a good leader here—for the judiciary and the country.
Santiago Dumlao is the Secretary General of the Association of Credit Rating Agencies in Asia and chairman of the market governance board and market policy committee of the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the Business Mirror’s.