MANILA (UPDATED) — In a bid for efficiency, the Supreme Court (SC) launched on Friday the Revised Book of Judicial Forms which will provide templates of judicial forms and pleadings for judges and lawyers to use.

In a bid for efficiency, Supreme Court launches Revised Book of Judicial Forms which will provide templates of judicial forms and pleadings, which judges and lawyers can use.

CJ Alexander Gesmundo says this will save judges precious time as they can issue orders during hearings. pic.twitter.com/eYHhm5rgKC

— Mike Navallo (@mikenavallo) November 24, 2023

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said this will save judges' precious time and will mean they can issue and serve orders immediately after every hearing.

The forms included in the book cover those used in civil procedure, special proceedings, provisional remedies and expedited proceedings.

They have notes to guide users and are numbered according to the rules they refer to.

The forms may be downloaded from the Supreme Court website and can be edited or copy-pasted.

Also available on the website are forms for criminal procedure and even for requesting Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth and Access to Information.

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The revision updates the original Book of Forms prepared by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin — a former chief justice — when he was still a trial court judge.

The update incorporates amendments to the Rules of Court.

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TEMPLATES SEEN TO SAVE TIME

SC Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh, chair of the subcommittee for the revision of the book of forms, said that during her tenure as trial court judge, using templates saved her a lot of time and she wants this practice replicated by judges.

“Under the SPJI or the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations of the Court, we are targeting efficiency, innovation and access. Lahat yung tatlong yun, sapul nitong Book of Judicial Forms,” she said.

SPJI is the Supreme Court’s roadmap to a responsive and real-time justice.

She clarified however that the forms are not intended to be mandatory so that these can still be subject to the discretion of the judges.

Court of Appeals Associate Justice Magdangal De Leon said that aside from efficiency, the use of Book of Judicial Forms will also result in consistency and accuracy of court orders, so that similar scenarios are treated similarly, “fostering fairness and predictability.”

The revision of the Book of Rules was supported by the University of the Philippines Law Center’s Institute for the Administration of Justice while another book launched during the same event, the Collation and Codification of SC Issuances, was funded by GoJust.