By Atty. Julius Gregory B. Delgado
SUPREME COURT COMMENDS BOHOLANO JUDGES AMONG THOSE WITH HIGHEST CLEARANCE RATES PER JUDICIAL REGION
The Supreme Court recently announced and made public its Resolution dated October 3, 2023 in Administrative Matter No. 23-08-14-SC (Re: List of Top 10 Courts per Judicial Region with the Most Number of Filed and Disposed Cases and their Clearance Rates). The said Resolution was issued acting on the Memorandum dated July 26, 2023 from the Office of the Court Administrator, Hon. Raul B. Villanueva, recommending commendation to the first- and second-level courts that achieved the 10 highest clearance rates per judicial region for the year 2022.
Per the said Resolution, clearance rate is computed by dividing the total number of case disposals or case outflow by the total number of incoming cases or case inflow, multiplied by 100. Accordingly, a clearance rate of 100% would mean that the court would be able to dispose of one case for every case filed during a given period.
The Court further held: “Efficient case disposition is a crucial component of the administration of justice. By disposing of cases with fairness and dispatch, a court is able to dispense timely justice for all parties involved, promote the integrity of the judicial process, and, ultimately, foster public trust in the courts and the Judiciary. This truism is the essence of the principle of ‘timely and fair’ delivery of justice presently embodied in the Court’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations (SPJI) 2022-2027.
In that context, a court’s clearance rate emerges as a meaningful metric to assess its efficiency in disposing of cases. In principle, the clearance rate measures the court’s ability to dispose of cases relative to the number of cases that had been filed before it at a given time. A clearance rate of exactly 100% means that, for a given period, a court was able to prevent an increase in the number of pending and unresolved cases pending before it. A clearance rate beyond that threshold indicates the potential to not only prevent but also reduce or eliminate case backlogs. The persistent existence of case backlogs has always been seen as the antitheses of efficient case disposition. By employing the clearance rate metric, however, the Court can readily pinpoint the trial courts especially the individual judges behind them that are actively working towards the eradication of case backlogs and, thus, remain committed to the principles of the Court’s SPJI 2022-2027.”
For second-level courts within the Seventh (7th) Judicial Region, the following were commended from our province: Hon. Hon. Jorge B. Espinal of Regional Trial Court of Carmen, Branch 51 (Rank No. 3, 129.43%); and Hon. Samuel A. Biliran and Hon. Rufo U. Naragas of Regional Trial Court of Loay, Branch 50 (Rank No. 8, 118.78%). For the first-level courts, the following were commended: Hon. Olivia C. Migriňo-Mende of Municipal Circuit Trial Court of Sierra Bullones-Pilar (Rank No. 5, 122.64%); Hon. Mildred R. Maglajos of Municipal Circuit Trial Court of Inabanga-Buenavista (Rank No. 6, 112.73%); and Hon. Meriam L. Ballener-Tradio of Municipal Circuit Trial Court of Candijay-Anda (Rank No. 8, 103.85%).
During its Eleventh (11th) Regular Meeting last Friday, February 9, 2024, the 26th Board of Officers and Directors of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Bohol Chapter passed Resolution No. 2, Series of 2024, giving special recognition to these Boholano judges and they will be feted during the Chapter’s Honoring Night on 01 March 2024 at Bohol Tropics Resort, Tagbilaran City with Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh as Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker.