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The Philippine IT Law Journal [ LegalWeb ] 
This section is a continuing series of articles featuring various websites which may be relevant to legal practitioners, legal researchers, and law students. In 1998, the Supreme Court of the Philippines made information from and about the judiciary available to the world through the Internet. For almost six years now the official website of the Supreme Court has been functioning as a clearinghouse for information from and about the Judicial Branch of the Philippine government. The site has also been helpful to legal practitioners, judges, legal researchers and law students as the site contains up-to-date information necessary in the field of law. The homepage provides links to pages about the following: announcements from the Supreme Court, history of the Highest Tribunal, its mission and vision, the present justices, the Court's organizational structure, bar matters, decisions, resolutions, circulars and orders, references, publications, news and information, frequently asked questions, the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) and telephone directory of the Supreme Court. Information from and about the Judiciary Under "History" is a brief story of the Court. It traces the beginnings of the Judicial Branch of the Philippine Government starting from the time the Spaniards came wherein judicial authority was being exercised in its primitive. It provides for the laws and issuances that led to the introduction of a formal judicial structure and its changes through the years. "Vision/Mission" contains the policy statement of the Judicial Branch. "Justices" makes the public acquainted with the present justices of the Supreme Court as it provides for the profiles of the latter placing special emphasis on their educational background and stint in the judiciary and legal profession. Photographs of each of the justices are also posted in these pages. The organizational structure of the Philippine court system is shown in "Organizational Structure." A space is also provided for the Supreme Court's organizational chart in the same page but chart is not yet posted. "Announcements" is a virtual public bulletin board wherein invitations to apply for eligibility and to bid, notices of awards and similar information are posted. "News and Information" is almost similar to "Announcements" as it also functions as a virtual bulletin board. Under this section, the following are posted: Search for 2004 Chief Justice Davide Awardees, Cultivation of Ethical Values in the Judiciary (a speech of the Chief Justice), downloadable awards forms for judicial excellence. One of the interesting parts of the site is "Bar Matters." Under it, one can find the list of successful bar examinees from 1998-2003. It also contains a list of bar topnotchers from the pre-war period up to present and the roll of attorneys. Hence, if one wants to check whether a person is indeed a member of the bar, he or she can find it out in a mouse click. The section on "Publication" is the space reserved for interesting works of the members of the Bench. At present, it contains three articles written by Justice Artemio V. Panganiban entitled "Battles in the Supreme Court," "Justice and Faith" and "Leadership By Example." The "Directory" provides a list of contact numbers of the different offices in the Supreme Court. It contains a list of the telephone numbers of the First, Second and Third Divisions, PHILJA, Presidential Electoral Tribunal, Management Information System Office, Judicial and Bar Council, the Offices of the Clerk of Court, Bar Confidant, Court Reporter, Chief Attorney, and Court Administrator. The contact number of the different services such as Administrative, Medical, Dental, Library and Printing, are likewise displayed. Other offices whose contact numbers are listed in the site are the following: Judicial Records Office, Fiscal Management and Budget Officer, financial Services Division/ Internal Audit Division, Program Management Office, Committee on Halls of Justice, and Security and Maintenance Unit in Baguio City. Frequently Asked Questions The site also gives space for the frequently asked questions under "FAQ." Some of the questions may be trivial but they are merely reflective of the fact that some trivial questions are worth asking as the answers are sometimes not known even to those learned in the law. The following are the questions answered in this section.
For sure, even a person in the field of law may find one or two of these questions interesting. It may also be true that although a person understands the terms and has an idea on the above queries, still, when asked to explain them to a third person, he or she may find a hard time to make an intelligent response. Want for answers? Just visit the site and you can find intelligent and well explained answers to the questions above. PHILJA The site www.supremecourt.gov.ph contains pages about the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA). PHILJA's pages provide, among others, information about the academy, the programs and courses being offered, the on-going seminars and its projects with partners. Legal Research Service The official website of the Supreme Court contains important research materials for the members of the bench and the bar and to those who are in the field of law. The sections on "Decisions," "Resolutions," "Circulars and Orders" and "References" form part of a 'virtual library' of the Judiciary. "Decisions" contains the full text of the decisions handed down by the Court. They are grouped based on the months on which they were promulgated. The depository, though not complete as it contains only those promulgated starting January 1999, includes all the latest decisions of the Highest Tribunal. The same is true with the "Resolutions." This section does not contain all the resolutions issued by the Court but it provides for the full text of those passed from January 1999 up to this date. Before the advent of the "www.supremecourt.gov.ph," a legal practitioner had to browse the pages of the newspapers to be updated with the Supreme Court Circulars and Orders. Now, with just one click of the mouse, he or she can update himself of the latest circulars and orders. Aside from jurisprudence, resolutions, circulars and orders, the "References" section provides for the rules recently promulgated by the Supreme Court. Among those posted in the site are the following: 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice, Administrative Matter No. 03-08-01-SC (Fixing the Lifetime of Bonds in Civil Actions or Proceedings), A.M. No. 03-03-03-SC (Consolidation of Intellectual Property Courts With Commercial Courts), Rule on Guardianship of Minors, Amendment to the Rules on Summary Procedure, Rules on Legal Separation, Declaration of absolute Nullity of Void Marriages and Annulment of Voidable Marriages and Rule on Adoption. "References" also contains the 1987 Constitution, the Rules of Court and Legal Fees and Costs. Indeed, the Judicial Branch is satisfactorily adapting to the needs of the times. The volume and quality of the information available in www.supremecourt.gov.ph only show that the Judiciary is not lagging behind and is prepared for technology revolution.
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