Supreme Court had a high clearance rate of 87% for year 2024

SC cleared more than 4,200 cases as of the end of September this year. This is approximately 87% of the total cases filed within the year by that time. However, the current statistics of clearance rate may differ slightly at year-end.

The clearance rate means the percentage ratio of the cases cleared to the total cases filed within a particular time period.

Clearance Rate = (Cases Resolved / Total Cases Filed) x100

A good clearance rate means that the SC had effectively performed very well and resolved a higher number of cases. An annual clearance rate of more than 85% is really good. This is encouraging for the Philippine people as well as the foreigners residing in the Philippines or having intentions to visit and invest in business and other ventures.

The efficiency of the highest court of the country is one of the major indicators of justice and the rule of law in the country. Efficient and powerful courts and justice systems always encourage foreigners and locals to open businesses, make investments, and expand their existing work setups. This thing not only contributes to the individual businesses’ growth but also creates more employment opportunities and adds to the overall economy and the GDP of the country.

Only having a good clearance rate of the cases is not enough; the results of the resolved cases also matter a lot. Some regular cases are of an individual nature, like robbery, theft, property issues, and other general disputes between two parties. However, there are some cases whose results have a deep impact on the overall society. The nature of such cases is generally public vs. the institutes, government, and departments. These cases are sometimes directly related to the peoples’ liberty, security, rule of law, right to speech, etc.

Having a glimpse at the tribunal cases of 2024 shows a series of landmark decisions made by the honorable justices of the Supreme Court. In one of the cases, the SC declared a police officer guilty of misconduct and violence against the prisoners. In another case, SC emphasized that violation of the regulations or the ordinance is a crime; it does not justify search and seizure without warrants.

In another landmark decision, the SC issued a ruling that there would be no imprisonment beyond the maximum penalty; it is against human dignity. SC had ordered to immediate release of all the prisoners who had already been imprisoned for more than or equal to the maximum penalty. These cases show the powerful legal system of the country, where the SC has the authority to give rulings against government officials and departments in favor of people.

In some of the cases, the persons related to the law system were also declared guilty; in one case, after being found guilty, the license of a lawyer was canceled, barring him from practicing law, while in two other different cases, the SC had dismissed the city judges. Moreover, the SC mentioned in the hearing of a case that all the lawyers and judges of the courts should have a fair trial, use the language morally, and deal with the persons with dignity and respect during the whole case trial process.

Some other public cases of 2024 were related to data privacy, tax compliance, social media blackmailing, election ballot recounts, gender equality, labor rights, and others. In all the cases, The Supreme Court implemented the real rules of justice, empowering the people and the institutions equally within the justice system. If this practice and professionalism of the highest court of the country continue in the future, there will be a good impact on the overall legal system of the Philippines.