Graphics: Dan Henly Sales
The Supreme Court (SC) launched its Revised Book of Judicial Forms and Collation and Codification of Supreme Court Issuances last Friday, November 24, 2023, at the Supreme Court Session Hall.
According to the Supreme Court Public Information Office (SCPIO), the Revised Book of Judicial Forms is a compilation of templates that may be used by judges and legal practitioners in civil cases and special proceedings. It also includes templates of forms for special civil actions, provisional remedies, and the rules on expedited procedures in the First Level Courts.
On the other hand, the Collation and Codification of SC Issuances concerns the circulars, memoranda and orders issued by the high court since 2000. It is a centralized repository of the Court’s issuances which is made available and accessible to judges, legal practitioners, and the general public.
SC Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, the current chairperson of the sub-committee for the Revision of the Book of Forms, said that a technical working group was created to update revised book of forms. The revisions were made to incorporate the 2019 amendments of the Rules of Court and the expedited rules of procedure of First Level Courts, which include templates for summary procedure in civil cases.
Associate Justice Singh also assured that the same book of forms will be produced for criminal cases.
“Don't worry, the Chief Justice has already created the working group for the preparation of the forms for criminal procedure” she said.
However, she also pointed out that the use of the templates is not mandatory. Judges and practitioners alike still have the discretion to change the contents of the forms to reflect the latest issuances of the SC.
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo added that the launch of the two books is in line with the goal of the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovation of 2022 - 2027, which targets three major outcomes: Efficiency, Innovation, and Access.
“These two significant publications will bring us closer to our objective of making our courts more responsive and more efficient” Chief Justice Gesmundo said.
