AUTHORIZING THE CONDUCT OF, AND THE ATTENDANCE OF SELECTED COURT OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES IN, THE JUDICIAL AND BAR COUNCIL STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONS PLANNING WORKSHOP

WHEREAS, one of the major targets
of the comprehensive reforms program launched by the Supreme Court for
the entire Judiciary is the strengthening of the role and capacity of
the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC);

WHEREAS, as component of the
technical assistance project entered into between the Supreme Court and
the Asian Development Bank (ADB), assessment workshops, meetings and
consultations with internal and external stakeholders, and strategic and
validation workshops were conducted to identify the reform needs and
requirements of the JBC;

WHEREAS, the results of these activities are reflected in the Revised Final Report, ADB Technical Assistance No. 3693-PHI, entitled Strengthening the Judicial Appointment and Career Development Systems and Capacity of the Judicial and Bar Council, approved by the Supreme Court en bane on November 18, 2003 in A.M. No.03-ll-19-SC, which recommends various reform measures to strengthen the JBC;

WHEREAS, foremost among the
recommendations in the ADB Revised Final Report are changes in the JBC’s
administrative structure and functions;

WHEREAS, on April 27, 2004, the Supreme Court en bane promulgated in A.M. No. 03-11-16-SC (2) a Resolution Strengthening the Role and Capacity of the Judicial and Bar Council,
which is geared towards strengthening the capacity of the JBC through
policies, rules, and guidelines that will establish its internal
organization, staffing and resources for its day-to- day activities;

WHEREAS, on October 18, 2000, the JBC promulgated the Rules of the Judicial and

Bar Council (JBC-009), some of the provisions of which may be revisited;

WHEREAS, the JBC agreed that a
workshop be conducted to pave the way to fully operationalize the
changes mentioned in the Court’s Resolution and in the ADB Report, and
to revisit the JBC Rules with the end in view of reducing the vacancy
rates in the judiciary while enhancing the quality of the selection
process;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Court hereby
authorizes the conduct of the Strategic and Operations Planning Workshop
on March 10, 2006, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and on March 11, 2006,
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Pan Pacific Hotel, Adriatico St.,
Manila.

All JBC officials and employees are required to attend the Strategic and Operations Planning Workshop.

The following Court officials and employees are hereby authorized to attend and participate in the Workshop:

The following court personnel are likewise required to attend as support staff:

The expense allowances for the support staff shall
be taken from Supreme Court funds. Participation in the Strategic and
Operations Planning Workshop shall be on official time.

Issued this 8th day of March 2006.