See - http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/pio/news/2012/11/11291201.php
"x x x.
'Greener' SC sets limits in paper use,
introduces e-filing
MARK
MERUEÑAS, GMA NEWS November 30, 2012
11:35am
11 14 1 27
Following the assurance
from Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno that the Supreme Court will be
environment-friendly, the high court has approved guidelines in the efficient
use of paper in resolutions and pleadings.
The high court said
Administrative Memorandum 11-9-4-SC or the "Efficient Use of Paper
Rule" aims to cut down the judiciary's excessive use of paper in an effort
to "save our forests, avoid landslides, and mitigate the worsening effects
of climate change that the world is experiencing."
The rule, promulgated
last November 13, will become effective at the start of the coming New Year,
after its publication in two newspapers of general circulation. The SC said the
new guidelines would apply to all courts and quasi-judicial bodies under the administrative
supervision of the Supreme Court.
According to the
guidelines of the "Efficient Use of Paper Rule," all pleadings,
motions, and similar papers intended for the courts must:
·
be written in single
space with a one-and-a-half space between paragraphs;
·
use an easily readable
font style of the party's choice;
·
must use a 14-point
font;
·
must be on an 8.5-inch
by 13-inch bond paper;
·
must have the following
margings - 1.5 inch (left), 1.0 in (right), 1.2 in (top), 1.0 in (bottom);
·
be consecutively numbered.
Apart from parties'
motions and and pleadings, the rule will also apply to all decisions,
resolutions, and orders issued by courts and quasi-judicial bodies under the
SC's administrative supervision, as well as reports submitted to the courts and
transcripts of stenographic notes.
The high court also set
the number of copies of court-bound papers to be made for each corresponding
courts.
For the Supreme Court,
parties are required to file one original copy (properly marked) and four
copies. If the case is referred to the SC en banc, the parties would have to
make 10 additional copies.
However, parties are
only required to submit two sets of annexes for the en banc and court Division:
one annex attached to the original, and another as an extra copy.
"All members of the
Court shall share the extra copies of annexes in the interest of economy of
paper," the Supreme Court said.
For the Court of
Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and Court of Tax Appeals, parties are required to file
one original, properly marked; and two copies with annexes. On appeal to the En
Banc, one original (properly marked) and eight copies with annexes are
required.
Meanwhile, if the case
or pleading is filed with the trial court, only one original (properly marked)
with the stated annexes attached to it is required.
"Also, a party
required by the rules to serve a copy of his or her court-bound paper on the
adverse party need not enclose copies of those annexes that, based on the
records of the court, show said party already has such," the high court
further said.
In case a party requests
a set of annexes, the party who filed the paper is required to comply within
five days from receipt of the request.
E-filing
The new rules also
required parties to simultaneously file soft or electronic copies of the hard
copy of their petitions or pleadings and their annexes (the latter in PDF
format) either by email to the Court’s e-mail address or by compact disc.
The court said this
additional requirement would be on a voluntary basis for the first six month or
from January to June; and would become compulsary after that or July and
beyond, unless the period is extended.
The court also said this
additional requirement would be "in preparation for the eventual
establishment of an e-filing paperless system in the Judiciary."
In her keynote and first
public address made at the Conference of the Presidents of Law Associations in
Asia in Pasay City last August 29, Sereno took note of environmental changes,
particularly in urban areas, that are threatening to impede the country’s
growth.
“We are in a country
that must rise even if flooding or the threat of flooding is now the so-called
new normal,” Sereno said.
Given this context, she
urged the judiciary to lessen its dependence on paper for court operations, not
only to help save the environment but also to protect court records during
natural disasters.
"We have to do our
share in minimizing the amount of trees cut down due to more paper
demand," she said.
In February, the high
court approved the Guidelines for Litigation in Quezon City Trial Courts, which
served as a pilot testing area for the guidelines that would later on become
national in scope.
The guidelines were
implemented in April, still under the tenure of ousted Chief Justice Renato
Corona, who was removed from office via impeachment.
Included in the
guidelines were page limitations for pleadings and memoranda filed by parties. —
RSJ, GMA News
