The Supreme Court (SC) officially launched the Judicial Burnout Scale app for Filipino Judges last May 30, 2025, at the SC Session Hall in Manila.
SC chief justice Alexander G. Gesmundo and SC associate justice Mario V. Lopez, the chairperson and working vice chairperson of the SC Governing Council for Mental Health (GCMH), respectively, led the launch.
The app was developed by the SC GCMH as part of the SC Cares (Supreme Court Compassion, Awareness, Education, and Save) program.
According to the World Health Organization, burnout is a workplace syndrome marked by exhaustion, mental detachment from work, and reduced performance. For judges and court staff, burnout can impair judgment, decision-making, and well-being, ultimately threatening the fairness and integrity of the justice system.
The app was inspired by the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey, which was carefully adapted to suit the Philippine context. It considers Filipino cultural values like hiya (sense of shame), pakikisama (getting along with others), and malasakit (empathy), which shape how emotions are experienced and expressed.
“This tool not only detects warning signs of burnout; it will also guide the Court in designing mental health programs, policy reforms, and interventions that promote our judges’ overall well-being,” Lopez said.
The SC GCMH Technical Working Group (TWG), supported by clinical psychologists Dr. Arnulfo V. Lopez, Dr. Antero Rosario V. Arias Jr., and Dr. Joy R. Tungol, led the development of the app. They held a focus group discussion with selected executive and presiding judges on March 20, 2025, followed by pilot testing on April 14, and a trial run on May 8.
After finalizing the tool, the TWG tested the prototype with over 300 judges during the Regional Mental Health Summit in Davao City last May 23.
The app will be available to judges nationwide through a link sent by the SC. Judges can either download it through Microsoft Power Apps or access it through their mobile browser. Plans are also underway to eventually make the tool available to all court personnel.
