Creating a Task Force for the Information Systems Strategic Plan for the Judiciary

December 13, 2001

SUPREME COURT ADMINISTRATIVE CIRCULAR NO. 62-01

CREATING A TASK FORCE FOR THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE JUDICIARY

WHEREAS, the Davide Watch, the vision-mission statement for the Judiciary, endeavors for a system of administration of justice geared to achieve the goal of delivering fair, impartial and swift justice;

WHEREAS, the Davide Watch further provides that in pursuit of effectiveness and efficiency, the Judiciary will maximize available court technology and adopt new and appropriate forms of technology;

WHEREAS, the delivery of judicial services to the public will be greatly enhanced and facilitated with the optimal use of information and communication technology (ICT);

WHEREAS, such optimal use will be expedited with the adoption of an Information Systems Strategic Plan;

WHEREFORE, a Task Force for the formulation of an Information Systems Strategic Plan (ISSP) for the Judiciary is hereby created. DEICHc

I. COMPOSITION

1. Pursuant to E.O. 190 prescribing an Information Systems Planner of at least a third highest ranking executive officer or its equivalent in rank, the Task Force shall be headed by Deputy Court Administrator Christopher Lock.

2. The Task Force shall have the following members:

a) Atty. Ma. Luisa D. Villarama of the Office of the Clerk of Court;

b) Atty. Thelma C. Bahia of the Office of the Court Administrator-Court Management Office;

c) Atty. Romeo M. Salazar of the Office of Administrative Services;

d) Ms. Agripina Bumanglag of the Fiscal Management and Budget Office; and

e) Atty. Ivan John E. Uy of the Management Information Systems Office.

 A representative from the Program Management Office shall sit in the Task Force as resource person for purposes of aligning the ISSP with the Action Program for Judicial Reform.

3. The Task Force Head may appoint a secretary-recorder.

4. As there is a need to consult with various officers and personnel of the Judiciary to complete the ISSP, the Task Force may constitute Sub-Task Forces composed of judges, clerks of court, legal researchers, stenographers, or other personnel of the Judiciary. HIcTDE

5. To align the Judiciary's ISSP with ICT initiatives of other government agencies, the Task Force may consult with officers from said agencies, such as the Department of Justice and the Department of Budget and Management, as well as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

6. The Task Force may consult with other resource persons as it deems necessary.

II. REQUIREMENTS OF ISSP

1. The ISSP shall guide the application of ICT towards mission-critical, public-service oriented, development-management supportive, and cost-based service areas of the Judiciary.

2. The ISSP shall embody the Judiciary's overall strategic plan for the development, installation, application, updating and maintenance of ICT systems, as well as the corresponding investment requirements over a defined timeframe.

3. The ISSP shall promote appropriate cost-effective technologies that will cut across the ICT requirements of the Judiciary, leading to its optimal and streamlined business operations and/or processes.

4. Balancing between the need for transparency and confidentiality, the ISSP shall permit effective information delivery, especially about judicial services, to the public.

5. The ISSP shall upgrade information support towards improved assessment, formulation and implementation of policies covering all aspects of judicial operations. TcIAHS

6. The ISSP shall identify the following and prescribe appropriate ICT systems for each:

a. Mission-critical and frontline services of the Judiciary; and

b. Oversight functions of the Judiciary.

7. The ISSP shall improve, or provide for the improvement of, the Judiciary's capacity for administration, especially in the following areas:

a. managing its physical, financial and human resources;

b. promoting transparency and public accountability and reducing graft and corruption;

c. creating client-feedback mechanisms;

d. improving coordination between and among offices and employees; and

e. upgrading the quality of information and speed of its delivery and exchange for managerial decision making (e.g., for executive information systems)

8. The ISSP shall rationalize the Judiciary ICT systems, taking into consideration the nature of activities and functions of all the units within the Judiciary. IaAEHD

9. The ISSP shall provide for electronic document management and will plan for the setting up of, among other systems, an electronic document repository to improve handling of Judiciary records. To this end, the Task Force on the ISSP will coordinate with the Task Force on Judicial Electronic/Digital Imaging.

10. Given that the following systems are in various stages of development within the Judiciary, the ISSP shall review their existing specifications and outline the development and upgrading of the same. The ISSP must ensure the seamless interconnectivity between and among the related systems to facilitate Judiciary operations. Where applicable, the ISSP must likewise consider national government efforts, initiatives and requirements in the design of these systems.

a. Case Management Systems;

b. Bar Management Information Systems;

c. Library and Research Systems;

d. Electronic Procurement System;

e. Human Resource Management Database and Information System;

f. Physical Assets Management Database and Information System;

g. Integrated Financial Management Database and Information System; caCEDA

h. Statistical Database and Information System;

i. Integrated Records Management Database and Information System; and

j. Other applicable systems.

11. The ISSP shall consider the appropriate installation and maintenance of the necessary security mechanisms in all systems.

12. The ISSP shall clearly define individual and group unit ownership and management responsibilities, authorities and accountabilities, and internal and external relationships with regard to ICT.

13. The ISSP shall prescribe guidelines on hardware and software platforms for all offices in the Judiciary to ensure compatibility, interoperability and sharing of applications to achieve savings through economies of scale.

14. The ISSP shall maximize the use of intranets or similar networking systems in the Judiciary. To this end, the ISSP shall set up a shared ICT infrastructure across the Judiciary for use of all offices of the Judiciary and which shall ensure access to common resources within necessary limitations.

15. The ISSP shall prescribe guidelines for the procurement of ICT resources, including ICT professional services where necessary. SEHACI

16. The ISSP must support and facilitate all judicial reform activities described in the Action Program for Judicial Reform.

17. The ISSP shall include benchmarks and indicators for evaluating overall and individual ICT performance.

18. The ISSP must provide for interconnectivity or information sharing with other government agencies. As such, the ISSP must provide a system for realizing such sharing.

19. The Judiciary ISSP must comply with or surpass standards required by the national government for government information systems.

20. The ISSP shall, with advice from the Philippine Judicial Academy, identify the relevant ICT training needs of the Judiciary.

21. As far as practicable, the ISSP shall follow the format prescribed by the NCC in its Memorandum Circular No. 93-3 and other subsequent issuances. The Task Force may build upon the outline for the creation of an ISSP formulated by the MISO.

III. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

1. To allow the Task Force to effectively carry out its tasks under this Order, the Task Force Head and its members will undergo the necessary training for information systems planning provided by the National Computer Center. ScAaHE

2. In designing the ISSP, the Task Force shall consult with each office of the Judiciary to determine their present ICT capability and actual ICT requirements, and to reflect the same in the ISSP.

3. The Chief Attorney shall ensure that the ISSP shall be consistent with pertinent laws and government issuances on the procurement, use and disposal of ICT resources, and will prescribe a strategy to harmonize Judiciary policies with such laws, rules and regulations. The ISSP must likewise be adaptable to the changing legal parameters of government.

4. The completed ISSP shall be presented to all appropriate offices of the Judiciary to ensure that the plan reflects all ICT needs and requirements, and to clarify the expectations and responsibilities of said offices arising from the ISSP.

5. Upon validation of the ISSP by the concerned offices of the Judiciary, the same shall be submitted to the Computerization Committee for its evaluation and review. The Committee shall submit its recommendation to the Chief Justice.

6. Upon the completion of the ISSP, the MISO shall oversee its implementation.

7. All activities related to the ISSP must be completed within eight months from the constitution of the Task Force.

IV. CREATION OF ISDP

Proceeding from the ISSP, the Task Force shall also design an initial Information Systems Development Plan (ISDP), which shall be considered in the formulation of the Judiciary's annual procurement plan. Subsequent ISDPs will be formulated by the MISO considering both the ISSP and previous ISDPs. The ISDP for a given year must be completed and submitted to the Procurement Planning Committee by July of the preceding year. SECATH

This Administrative Circular shall take effect on 7 January 2002.

Manila, December 13, 2001.

(SGD.) HILARIO G. DAVIDE, JR.Chief Justice and Chairman, First Division

(SGD.) JOSUE N. BELLOSILLOChairman, Second Division

(SGD.) JOSE A.R. MELOChairman, Third Division

(pursuant to A.M. No. 99-12-08-SC)