Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo administered the oath of office to 78 newly appointed judges of first and second-level courts from across the country.
The ceremony was held at the En Banc Session Hall and the Dignitaries’ Lounge of the Supreme Court in Manila from March 26 to 28.
In his message, Gesmundo reminded the newly appointed judges that only members of the Judiciary are constitutionally mandated to embody the qualities of competence, integrity, probity, and independence.
This underscores the higher standards expected of judges, given their crucial role in upholding justice and maintaining public trust in the legal system, according to him.
He also highlighted the High Tribunal’s efforts to improve the justice system through innovative reforms.
Among the measures include reducing case backlogs, making justice more accessible, and ensuring faster resolution of cases which demonstrate the SC’s commitment to a more efficient and responsive Judiciary.
The appointment of the new magistrates supports the goals of the SC’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI), which focuses on boosting court efficiency, encouraging innovation, and expanding access to justice.
A total of 53 judges will serve in the Regional Trial Courts (RTC), while 25 will preside over first-level courts, including the Metropolitan Trial Courts (MeTC), Municipal Trial Courts in Cities (MTCC), Municipal Trial Courts (MTC), and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts (MCTC).
These judges are distributed across the National Capital Judicial Region (NCJR) as well as in Judicial Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12.