TRANSITION TO ELECTRONIC FILING IN THE SUPREME COURT

WHEREAS, under Article VIII, Section 5(5) of the 1987 Constitution, the Supreme Court is vested with the power to “[p]romulgate rules concerning the protection and enforcement of constitutional rights, pleading, practice, and procedure in all courts, the admission to the practice of law, the [Integrated Bar], and legal assistance to the [underprivileged]. Such rules shall provide a simplified and inexpensive procedure for the speedy disposition of cases, shall be uniform for all courts of the same grade, and shall not diminish, increase, or modify substantive rights.”;

WHEREAS, in preparation for the eventual establishment of an electronic filing (e-filing) paperless system in the Judiciary, the Supreme Court in 2013 approved the Rules on E-Filing in A.M. No. 10-3-7-SC and the Efficient Use of Paper Rule in A.M. No. 11-9-4-SC, which were later revised in 2022 as the Guidelines on Submission and Processing of Soft Copies of Supreme Court-bound Papers Pursuant to the Efficient Use of Paper Rule;

WHEREAS, the Guidelines on Submission and Processing of Soft Copies of Supreme Court-bound Papers Pursuant to the Efficient Use of Paper Rule requires that soft copies of documents filed by parties and their counsel be submitted through electronic mail to begin the transition to paperless filing in the Supreme Court;

WHEREAS, among the initiatives for the Innovation outcome of the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 is the development of an eCourt System version 2.0, a key component of which is electronic filing and service in the Supreme Court in civil cases;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Supreme Court En Banc resolves to APPROVE the following Guidelines on the Transition to Electronic Filing in the Supreme Court:

GUIDELINES ON THE TRANSITION TO ELECTRONIC FILING
IN THE SUPREME COURT

Section 1. Transition to electronic filing through the Philippine Judiciary Platform. — Starting July 1 until September 30, 2025, initiatory petitions or pleadings and motions for extensions of time to file those petitions or pleadings in the following instances shall also be filed electronically with the Supreme Court through the Philippine Judiciary Platform (https://portal.judiciary.gov.ph):

1. petitions for review on certiorari under Rule 45 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, with or without prayers for temporary restraining orders, writs of preliminary injunction, or other provisional remedies;
2. review of judgments and final orders or resolutions of the Commission on Elections and the Commission on Audit pursuant to Rule 64 of the Rules of Civil Procedure; and
3. petitions for certiorari, prohibition, or mandamus filed pursuant to Rule 65 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, with or without prayers for temporary restraining orders, writs of preliminary injunction, or other provisional remedies;
4. petitions for contempt;
5. petitions for the issuance of prerogative writs including, but not limited to, habeas corpus, amparo, habeas data, kalikasan, and continuing mandamus; and
6. quo warranto actions.

Subsequent pleadings in previously docketed cases, falling due on July 1, 2025 onwards, in cases that fall under the above enumeration, shall also be filed electronically with the Supreme Court through the Philippine Judiciary Platform.

Starting October 1, 2025, electronic filing and service through the Philippine Judiciary Platform shall be mandatory for filers under Section 3 of this Resolution. Initiatory petitions or pleadings and motions for extensions of time to file those petitions or pleadings shall be filed through the Philippine Judiciary Platform, but their service shall be in accordance with the Rules of Court. Pleadings, motions, and other papers subsequent to an initiatory pleading or petition in docketed cases shall both be filed and served through the Philippine Judiciary Platform.

Section 2. Excluded cases. — In the following cases, initiatory petitions or pleadings and motions for extensions of time to file those petitions or pleadings shall be filed in accordance with the Rules of Civil Procedure, as amended, unless otherwise ordered by the Court:

1. appeals in all criminal cases pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure from the first- and second-level courts, the Court of Appeals, the Court of Tax Appeals, and the Sandiganbayan;
2. administrative complaints against personnel of the Supreme Court and its decentralized units, and the Presidential Electoral Tribunal;
3. administrative complaints and matters involving the Court of Appeals, the Sandiganbayan, the Court of Tax Appeals, and first- and second-level courts, its justices, judges, and personnel;
4. complaints against lawyers and other Bar matters; and
5. all cases within the jurisdiction of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, the Senate Electoral Tribunal, and the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal, which shall continue to be governed by their respective rules of procedure.

Section 3. Who may file electronically. — All members of the Philippine Bar shall file electronically using their valid and existing accounts in the Philippine Judiciary Platform.

No fee shall be charged for the registration of accounts in the Philippine Judiciary Platform.

The filing of any document by a person using the Philippine Judiciary Platform account of another is strictly prohibited.

All filings made using a registered account in the Philippine Judiciary Platform are conclusively presumed to have been made by the person under whose name the account is registered, even if the person has not signed their name in the pleading, motion, or other papers filed.

Any person who deliberately allows another person to file any document using their account or, due to the negligence in the safekeeping or security of their account credentials, causes another to file using their account, shall be subject to disciplinary action.

Section 4. Who may not file electronically. — Filings by non-lawyers, whether represented by counsel or not, and amicus curiae appointed by the Court, in the cases enumerated in Section 1 shall be done either by:

1. submitting personally the pleadings, motion, or other paper to the Court;
2. sending the pleading, motion, or other paper by registered mail; or
3. sending the pleading, motion, or other paper by accredited courier.

Sharia’ah counselors-at-law who are not members of the Philippine Bar and law student practitioners shall also file with the Court in accordance with any of the above-mentioned modes.

Section 5. Effect of erroneous manner of filing. — When the Court determines that a motion for extension of time, petition, or other initiatory pleading in a case enumerated in Section 1 was filed by a person enumerated in Section 3 using the wrong manner of filing, this Court shall order the filing counsel to file electronically.

When the Court determines that a motion for extension of time, petition, or other initiatory pleading in a case excluded in Section 2 was electronically filed, the Court shall order the filing of the motion, petition, or pleading, as well as all subsequent filings, in accordance with the Rules of Civil Procedure, as amended.

Starting October 1, 2025, the erroneous manner of filing an initiatory petition, pleading, or motion covered under Section 1, paragraph 2 may be a ground for its dismissal or denial. Any subsequent pleading, motion, or other paper that was not filed in accordance with this Resolution shall be deemed as not filed.

Section 6. Electronic filing requirements. — All electronic filings must conform with the guidelines on the use of the Philippine Judiciary Portal to be issued by the Court.

Section 7. Service. — Unless otherwise authorized by the Court, service of all pleadings, motions, and other papers shall be in accordance with the Rules of Court.

Section 8. Effectivity. – This Resolution shall take effect on July 1, 2025 following its publication in the Official Gazette or in two newspapers of general circulation and on the Supreme Court website.

No pleading, motion, or other paper filed and served in accordance with the Rules of Court prior to the effectivity of this Resolution shall be required to be re-filed or re-served in compliance with this Resolution, unless otherwise ordered by the Court, in which case the original date and time of filing and service shall be controlling.

Pertinent provisions of the Rules of Civil Procedure, as amended; rules and guidelines issued under A.M. No. 10-3-7-SC (Re: Proposed Rule on E-Filing) and A.M. No. 11-9-4-SC (Re: Proposed Rule for the Efficient Use of Paper); and other issuances of the Court for pleading and practice before the Supreme Court, inconsistent with these Rules, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.