Conduct of the Special Diagnostic Inventory for the Case Delay and Docket Reduction Project (CDDRP)

July 27, 2011

OCA CIRCULAR NO. 88-11-A

 

WHEREAS, the Supreme Court's Judicial Reform Program (JRP) has implemented projects and other interventions to address the perennial problem of case congestion and delay in the hearings and disposal of cases in all court levels. Among these are: case and docket management training, human resources capacity-building for judges and court personnel, and conduct of dialogues and focus group discussions with other justice sector agencies who are likewise mandated with the prompt and fair of justice;

WHEREAS, the Chief Justice has stated that case decongestion and efficient case management are among the key priority reform areas under his leadership. With this policy direction, the Court, through the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) and the Program Management Office (PMO) have initially implemented a case decongestion project in the three (3) Regional Trial Courts and one (1) Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu where the Courts' average number of cases filed is higher than that disposed of each month;

WHEREAS, the conduct of a similar Case Delay and Docket Reduction Project (CDDRP) in the 17 selected 1st and 2nd level courts, which were found to have high caseloads is expected to significantly declog their dockets, and eventually improving the overall case disposal rate and overall efficiency in their operations;

WHEREAS, the CDDR project aims to: (1) reduce by at least 10% to 15% the number of pending cases in these selected courts after the recommendations of the diagnostic audit are complied with; (2) identify the specific problems/difficulties of the judges and court personnel in disposing of their pending cases; and (3) develop a docket/case management plan for each court branch;

WHEREAS, the conduct of the Orientation on the CDDR Project with the Judges, Clerks of Court and Branch Clerks of Court of the 17 selected courts was held last July 15, 2011 pursuant to OCA Circular 88-2011 dated July 11, 2011; AIaSTE

WHEREFORE, IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, the following guidelines shall be observed in the conduct of the special diagnostic inventory for the CDDR Project:

1. The conduct of the Special Diagnostic Inventory on the CDDR Project shall commence on July 18, 2011 until September 9, 2011 for all the said 17 selected courts.

2. The court branch shall devote this entire period for the accomplishment of Special Diagnostic Inventory Forms for the Project. Electronic copies of the Diagnostic Inventory Forms shall be provided to all these courts.

3. During the Special Diagnostic Inventory for the CDDR Project, the court branches are directed to manage their dockets, and hearings shall be scheduled and conducted only on urgent matters and incidents such as but not limited to applications for habeas corpus, writs of amparo or habeas data, temporary restraining order and/or writ of preliminary injunction, temporary/permanent protection order, applications for bail, arraignment and trial of detained accused, motions for the lifting of warrant of arrest, and the like.

4. The CDDR Project will entail three stages of case decongestion, namely: (a) docket inventory; (b) judicial audit, and (c) docket management plan for each branch.

5. The docket inventory shall begin with a review of the December 31, 2009 semestral docket inventory and the monthly reports from January 2010 to May 2010 submitted.

6. The validation of inventory reports will be conducted by the OCA Judicial Supervisors beginning September 15 to October 28, 2011 in the court branch, on the following purposes: (a) to validate the reports submitted after the inventory conducted by the court branch; (b) to aid the court branch and the court management/case management decongestion committee to come up with solutions to fast track case disposition.

7. The formulation of the Case Management Plan by each court branch will be done from November 1 to December 1, 2011. Following this, the OCA will approve the Case Management Plan by each court branch and they shall be directed to implement their Case Management Plan beginning January 2012.

8. During the Special Diagnostic Inventory for the Project, no application for leave, whether filed by a judge, branch clerk of court, docket clerk, or court aide, or the Clerk of Court or Assistant Clerk of Court of these selected courts, shall be approved except for the most compelling reasons, to be determined by the Court Administrator. TSEAaD

9. The 17 courts are directed to submit an initial Diagnostic Inventory Report containing at least fifteen (15) differentiated cases submitted for decision (to serve the purpose of filling up the finalized and approved diagnostic forms for the CDDR Project).

10. The submission of the initial Diagnostic Inventory Report for the CDDR Project using the finalized and approved format shall be sent by electronic mail to [email protected] or [email protected] on or before August 3, 2011.

Pursuant thereto, these selected courts are hereby directed to SUBMIT their Diagnostic Inventory Report for the CDDR Project on or before September 10, 2011 in the finalized and approved format using a diskette or CD which shall be sent to by post or courier to:

RE: Case Delay and Docket Reduction Project

Attention: Atty. Antonio Andre A. Calizo

Program Management Office

Supreme Court

6th Floor, Centennial Building

Padre Faura Street

Ermita, 1000 Manila

This Circular shall take effect upon its issuance.

Issued this 27th day of July 2011.

(SGD.) JOSE MIDAS P. MARQUEZCourt Administrator