The number of unresolved cases from the Supreme Court down to the lower courts in the country is almost one million, Senate finance committee chairperson Grace Poe revealed as she defended the proposed 2025 budget of the judiciary.
In terms of unresolved cases, the Supreme Court has 14,756, while Regional Trial Courts have the most at 362,000, followed by Shari’a Courts with 298,000, Municipal Trial Courts at 69,000, and Family Courts with 64,000.
With the SC memorandum circular ordering the lower courts to resolve all cases within 90 days, Poe said judges and justices who do not comply with the period provided will be charged with administrative cases.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III noted that the disposition of cases, along with allegations of corruption, remain to be the two primary issues raised against the judiciary. He cited a case which remains pending for 10 years. He, however, warned against a reliance on the use of artificial intelligence by the courts.
Among the tools that the judiciary is considering is the use of AI in drafting decisions, and the SC has said it will be drafting a framework that will outline guidelines for the use of AI in court operations and management.
The number of unresolved court cases in this country is truly overwhelming and while the judicious use of AI could possibly help speed up the process and clear the backlog, the source of the problem goes much deeper, making the solutions more comprehensive. It is high time for those responsible for the management and delivery of our justice system to reevaluate the way they go about their work and use all resources available to find ways to be speedier, more efficient, and less prone to corruption, as Filipinos try their best to regain their trust in an already weak justice system that had been compromised further by a bloody war on drugs that managed to sideline it completely.*
