Leonen: Digital innovations must ensure fair, inclusive access to justice

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen emphasized that technological innovations must remain anchored in fairness, inclusion and accountability to bring judicial services closer to the people.

Serving as chairperson of both the Committee on Access to Justice and Underserved Areas and the Committee on Human-Centered Augmented Intelligence in the Judiciary, Leonen delivered these remarks during his keynote address at the eNotary and Digital Trust: Twala Legal Tech Forum 2026.

During the forum, titled “Building a Digital Judiciary: Electronic Notarization and the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022–2027,” Leonen discussed the judiciary’s continuing efforts to modernize court processes, expand access to justice and ensure that technological innovation remains anchored in fairness, inclusion and accountability.

The event was organized by Twala, a Filipino legal technology company, Supreme Court-accredited electronic notarization facility and official partner of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), to mark the first day of electronic notarization in the Philippines.

The forum brought together representatives from the judiciary, government agencies, the legal profession, legal education institutions and the technology sector to discuss the role of digital innovation in expanding access to justice and strengthening public trust in electronic transactions.

To illustrate the impact of technology, Leonen cited the launch of the Remote Hearing and Equal Access to Law and Justice (REAL Justice) Program in Tawi-Tawi in 2024.

Through the installation of satellite internet in the area, videoconferencing became possible, allowing litigants and witnesses in remote communities to participate in court proceedings without costly and time-consuming travel.

Leonen said technology contributes to access to justice by reducing barriers created by geography and poverty. He noted that digital tools can enable hearings to proceed without long journeys, allow pleadings to be filed remotely and make it possible for documents to be notarized without requiring individuals to miss a day of work.

The senior associate justice underscored that the judiciary’s digital initiatives are guided by the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022–2027 (SPJI), which identifies access to justice as a key outcome. While the SPJI formally concludes in 2027, he stressed that the judiciary’s commitment to improving access to justice will continue beyond the plan’s completion.

“Access to justice is an outcome of [the SPJI]. We are almost done, alongside efficiency and innovation. The plan ends in 2027. The obligation it names does not.

“Faster and more convenient services do not by themselves make justice accessible. Legal aid is essential. Alone, however, it cannot correct the inequalities that keep marginalized communities from asserting their rights.”

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