PHILIPPINES Trends and Developments Contributed by: Rowena L Garcia-Flores, Patricia Kay L Tysmans-Clemente, Joseph Anthony I Malaya and Roslyn Bianca R Mangaser, Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz
• revocation of notarial commission and dis- qualification as a notary public; • a fine; or • disbarment. The CPRA, however, allows the application of both mitigating and aggravating circumstances During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court of the Philippines revised the Rules of Practice and Procedure before courts to speed up the resolution of cases and to unclog court dockets. The new rules include allowing: • the conduct of hearings via videoconferenc- ing; • the filing of pleadings electronically; and • the electronic service of orders and pleadings to litigants. The new rules have been crafted primarily to make court processes more efficient and less costly for litigants, and to reduce the use of paper in pleadings, submissions and orders. They were also crafted so that the Philippine court system could adapt to the global trend of cyber development and digitalisation. in the determination of sanctions. Digitalisation of Court Processes In a Senate subcommittee hearing in Septem- ber 2024, the Court Administrator discussed the Supreme Court’s plan to integrate the use of arti- ficial intelligence (AI) as a potent tool for trans- lating witness testimonies from one of the many dialects in the Philippines into English, which is the official language used in court proceedings (see here ). Although there is much discussion about the use of AI in court proceedings, no court processes currently use this tool.
Nevertheless, Chief Justice Alexander Gesmun- do recently revealed the Court’s plan to integrate and expand the use of AI in the judicial system. As of 27 October 2024, the AI software called Scriptix (with its voice-to-text function) is already undergoing a test run in first- and second-lev- el courts as a stenographer, and is meant to address the current shortage of court stenogra- phers (see here ). Rules of Practice and Procedure Before Courts: Latest Developments This year, the Philippine Supreme Court rolled out two key Rules of Procedure regarding digi- talisation, as follows. Rules on e-filing in civil cases The Philippine Supreme Court rolled out the Rules on e-Filing, which took effect on 1 Decem- ber 2024. These Rules mandate litigants in civil cases to file and serve pleadings, motions and other court documents via email, aside from the other modes of filing and service availed of by the litigant. Courts should also send their orders to litigants via email. These rules make it more convenient for parties to file and serve docu- ments and for the courts and parties to receive these documents in a timely manner. E-payment of court filing fees The Supreme Court also rolled out the Judicial e-Payment Solution, whereby litigants are given the option to be assessed and to pay for their filing fees through various online modes of pay- ment. This makes it more convenient for parties to pay filing fees. Empowering the Department of Justice to Promulgate Its Own Rules Through a Resolution dated 28 May 2024, the Supreme Court gave the Department of Justice
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