SC Honors 2010 Outstanding Judges, Clerks of Court

Posted September 16, 2010; By Jay B. Rempillo

The Supreme Court, in cooperation with the Society for Judicial Excellence (SJE), today announced the Judiciary’s three outstanding judges and one outstanding clerk of court for this year. The winners will be honored in an awarding ceremony to be held at 4 p.m. this Friday, September 17, at the Centennial Hall A, Manila Hotel.

The Judicial Excellence Awardees for 2009 in the Second-Level Courts are Judge Victoria Isabel Alvarez Paredes of Caloocan City Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 124, Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano Awardee; Judge Iluminada P. Cabato of Baguio City RTC, Branch 59, Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos Awardee; and Judge Carmelita S. Manahan of Manila RTC, Branch 16, Chief Justice Ramon Avanceña Awardee. The lone recipient of the Outstanding Clerk of Court of the Second Level Courts is Atty. Gail M. Bacbac-Del Isen of Baguio City RTC, Branch 3 for Branch Clerk of Court (Multi-Sala).

Judge Paredes, the Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano Awardee for Outstanding Regional Trial Court Judge, has been a JEA finalist in 2005 and 2006. In 2006, she was adjudged Most Outstanding Gender Sensitive Judge of the Philippines by the National Commission on Women, the Supreme Court, Commission on Human Rights, United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Her average rate of case disposal from January 2009 to July 2010 stands at thirty (30) cases a month. More significantly, the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court have affirmed 95% of her decisions.

She has rendered uninterrupted service to the government for 25 years, starting as State Counsel, then Quezon City Second Assistant City Prosecutor with the Department of Justice in 1985 before her appointment to the Regional Trial Court of Caloocan City, Branch 124, in 1996. In 2005, five (5) years after her court was designated as a Family Court, she was appointed Executive Judge of the Caloocan City Regional Trial Court.

Judge Paredes graduated from the University of the Philippines with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, major in Philosophy cum laude in 1975 and Bachelor of laws at the top ten of her class of 1979. She was awarded the Presidential Pin for Academic Excellence.

When asked about her work performance which has made a difference in the judicial system or society, she listed the following: active participation in the Enhanced Justice on Wheels (EJOW) project of the Supreme Court; adopting templates for frequently used or repetitive orders for speedier disposition to counsels and litigants; issuance of protection of orders even prior to the enactment of RA 9261; full utilization of mediation for the amicable settlement of cases; networking with non-governmental units (LGUs) to provide shelter-based/education/treatment/rehabilitation to minor offenders; full use of diversion proceedings to benefit not only the minor offenders but also the private complainants; and the institution of security measures to preserve the integrity of court records by using blue-colored papers for orders issued by her court.