The Supreme Court has conducted a regional summit on mental health dubbed as “Nurturing Mental Health to Enhance Efficiency and Productivity in the Judiciary” held last July 12 at the Cordillera Convention Hall of the Baguio Country Club in Baguio City.
The meeting give premium importance to the mental health of judicial officers and employees.
The event, dubbed “SC C.A.R.E.S.” was a project of the Supreme Court Governing Council for Mental Health (SC GCMH), chaired by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, with Associate Justice Mario Lopez as working chairman and Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh as vice chairperson.
The first SC C.A.R.E.S. regional summit outside of the National Capital Judicial Region, was attended by close to 200 judiciary employees consisting of randomly selected judges, clerks of court, and personnel from the first- and second-level courts from the First Judicial Region.
SC C.A.R.E.S., which stands for Supreme Court Compassion, Awareness, Education and Save Program on Mental Health, is a program which seeks to combat mental health risks by fostering awareness, eradicating the social stigma surrounding these conditions, and providing professional counselling for affected employees.
In his keynote message, Gesmundo reiterated his request for everyone in the Judiciary to prioritize their mental health.
The Chief Justice emphasized that the promotion of mental health is an integral part of the SC’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027(SPJI), which “centers on safeguarding our most precious resource – our people.”
According to him, under the SPJI, the Court has institutionalized a socialized health insurance system for judicial officers and employees. He also shared that a mental health unit, similar to the one in the Supreme Court, is in the works for all court levels.
“We are dedicated to enhancing the well-being of our justices, judges, and court personnel, but importantly, promoting their mental health is not merely about enhancing performance excellence, or elevating the quality of judicial services; it is also about safeguarding their personal lives,” said Gesmundo, who marvelled at the use artificial intelligence as his message was simultaneously translated into the Ilocano language and flashed on the LED wall as he spoke.
The top magistrate also shared that the high court has signed the first ever Comprehensive Health Care Plan for the Judiciary earlier this month. He said for the first time, mental health is included in the coverage of the unified HMO to provide a more comprehensive and responsive Health and Welfare Program for the Judiciary.
Justice Lopez, who delivered the inspirational message, echoed the sentiments of the Chief Justice, saying that the “well-being of judges is a high priority for the Supreme Court.”
He acknowledged that “mental pain is part of the human condition, and should be recognized and addressed head on.” He encouraged anyone faced with such dilemma to seek assistance, saying that “there should be no shame in discussing or seeking help for health concerns such as anxiety or depression which can afflict anyone.” “We’ve got to get rid of the embarrassment and stigma because mental health is inconvenient at best and devastating at worst,” Lopez said.
Lopez also acknowledged that judges experience stress for bearing the responsibility of deciding cases that significantly impact the lives and liberties of the people. He added that while some judges exhibit impatience, irritability, anger management issues, and erratic behavior in courts, “such behavior should not be dismissed as mere personality issues. They could be pointers to work-induced stress or mental health concern.” Justice Lopez disclosed that the first regional Mental Health Unit will be established in the Ilocos Region, the First Judicial Region.
The regional summit’s resource speakers were Dr. Arnulfo Lopez (younger brother of Justice Lopez), who spoke on the relevance, issues, and significance of mental health awareness in the Judiciary; Dr. Antero Rosauro Arias, Jr., who discussed with the participant judges the issue of burnout and the assessment, management, and intervention techniques involved in handling the same; and Dr. Maria Claudette.
Agnes, who discussed with the participant clerks of court and court personnel the warning signs and signals of mental health issues. The three resource speakers also presided over an open forum with the summit participants.
In his welcome remarks, SC administrator Raul Villanueva underscored that mental health is as essential as physical health. He expressed gratitude to the SC for giving priority to the mental health concerns of court employees.
Deputy clerk of court and chief administrative officer Maria Carina Matammu- Cunanan, also a member of the SC GCMH, gave a brief orientation on the Court’s Mental Health Unit.
