Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo challenged the investigating commissioners of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Commission on Bar Discipline (IBP CBD) “to level up and move forward” in resolving disciplinary cases against members of the Bar “because our people deserve justice.”
Gesmundo made this declaration during the second day of the “First CBD Commissioners’ Summit” at the Diamond Hotel in Manila.
The Chief Justice tasked the participating investigating commissioners to discuss among themselves and come up with specific recommendations as to how to expedite the disciplinary cases assigned to them, so that the Supreme Court (SC) En Banc could immediately address the same.
The Chief Justice lamented that the statistics provided by the IBP CBD show how administrative cases have suffered perennial delays in disposition, with 902 cases still pending as of 30 July 2022.
Gesmundo added that expediting the resolution of disciplinary cases will be in line with the Supreme Court’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI), which is ultimately aimed at the delivery of justice in real time.
He also revealed that the SC and the IBP will soon conduct a nationwide caravan on the new Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability to introduce the new Code not only to the different chapters of the IBP, but also to the other stakeholders who rely on the administration of justice, “so they could call the attention of the members of the Bar if they digress, violate, or totally ignore what is provided in the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability.”
Gesmundo was joined in the summit by Associate Justices Ramon Paul Hernando, Amy Lazaro-Javier, Henri Jean Paul Inting, Rodil Zalameda, Samuel Gaerlan, Jhosep Lopez, Jose Midas Marquez and Maria Filomena Singh.
About 100 IBP investigating commissioners are taking part in the three-day Summit, with the theme “Standardizing Concepts and Processes in Improving the System of Resolving Administrative Complaints Filed with the Commission on Bar Discipline.”