SC, Koica sign partnership on judiciary modernization

The Supreme Court has signed an agreement with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica) to cooperate on a program that would modernize the Philippine court system with advanced technology.

The high tribunal said it signed an agreement with Koica on Jan. 6 to use state-of-the-art technology to reduce case backlogs and streamline adjudication processes using technology already in use by the South Korean judiciary.

“This partnership will create an electronic verification, case and evidence management system, digitize court records and train court personnel to implement these advancements,” the Supreme Court said in a statement on Tuesday.

Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen affirmed the court’s plans to improve, uplift and elevate the country’s judicial procedures through the latest available technology.

Leonen highlighted the need to evolve with the changing times by doing away with outdated systems and moving toward a more efficient, innovative and accessible judiciary.

“We must prepare ourselves so that we, as an institution, can demonstrate our ability to adapt, no matter how daunting or difficult change may seem,” Leonen said.

The high court said a team from Koica will start a preliminary survey of Philippine courts from Jan. 6 to Jan. 15 and gather data for the project, which is expected to be implemented next year.

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Transparent, efficient

Koica Philippines country director Kim Eun-sub said the use of South Korean information technologies would pave the way for a more transparent and efficient judicial system in the Philippines.

Leonen said the partnership would fortify the judiciary’s efforts to modernize court processes and improve artificial intelligence, such as the eCourt PH V2.0, Calesa Digital and the development of voice-to-text applications for trial courts.

The partnership is part of the Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022–2027 that Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo launched in 2022 to enhance the administration of justice through advanced technology.