The Supreme Court (SC), together with the Department of Justice, the University of the Philippines (UP) Law Center, and institutional partners from Spain, launched on Dec. 12, CALESA Digital, a program aimed at creating a digital legal framework in the country through the collaborative work of experts in the field of law and technology.
The CALESA Digital program marks a milestone in the partnership between the Philippines and Spain and is a significant stride towards the fulfillment of the goals of the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI).
CALESA Digital is a continuation of the Capacity Building for Legal and Social Advancement in the Philippines (CALESA).
Funded by the European Commission and implemented from January 15, 2020 to January 14, 2024, CALESA achieved significant academic outcomes under the leadership of the University of Malaga, in collaboration with the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) and Nova de Lisboa University, Duesto University, University College Dublin, UP, Ateneo de Manila University, University of San Agustín, and Ateneo de Zamboanga University.
The initiative complements the SC’s ongoing efforts to modernize the country’s legal systems, specifically the digitization of the administration of justice, the use of artificial intelligence, digital content, and digital data.
A key feature of CALESA Digital is the nomination of experts from Spain and the Philippines who will carry out in-depth analytical reports on the digitization of the administration of justice.
SC senior associate justice Marvic Leonen also discussed the five components of the Judiciary’s electronic courts, namely:
1. Electronic filing of all pleadings and motions in civil cases and electronic promulgation of orders and decisions coming from courts;
2. Court management applications;
3. Electronic filing and case management applications of the Supreme Court and appellate courts;
4. Digital appeals in civil cases; and
5. Electronic filing and electronic promulgation of decisions suppletorily for criminal cases and special proceedings.
He added that these efforts are supported by other projects, like using technology to reach remote areas, expanding videoconferencing for hearings, creating helpful online resources on the SC website, and improving cybersecurity to protect court systems.
On the subject of artificial intelligence, Leonen talked about the use of voice-to-text apps in courts, which have already been tested in the Sandiganbayan and several trial courts.
He gave assurance that the SC will carefully ensure that artificial intelligence is both reliable and safe.
