Court of Appeals Expands Automated Case Management System

USAID and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative have been working with the Philippine
Court of Appeals to expand its automated case management information system (CMIS), and to help the
court reach its “zero backlog” goal by this year. Before CMIS was created, litigants waited many years for
decisions by the Court. During the past two years under CMIS, rulings are promulgated within the one-
year time period required by the Constitution. The Court of Appeals handles 90% of all appealed cases,
including disputes from quasi-judicial agencies such as the Intellectual Property Office and the Securities
and Exchange Commission.

USAID Deputy Administrator Donald Steinberg witnesses how the kiosk station of the CMIS allows
the public to view actual dockets and decisions
of the Philippine Court of Appeals