Vitug Vlogs: Marvic Leonen, a child of the new media

MANILA, Philippines – Rappler’s editor at large Marites Vitug talks about how the newest Supreme Court justice can use his knowledge of social media to reform the courts.
Here’s her video blog.

The newest justice in the Supreme Court used to be one of us in Facebook and Twitter.
He seemed to derive energy from the voices of the crowd, the diverse views and open exchanges.
He is a child of the new media, an avid user of the Internet and technology.
In the Court, Justice Leonen will experience drastic changes, the most visible of which is being invisible.
He will keep to himself and his colleagues — where confidentiality of deliberations is sacred.
But Justice Leonen can bring two things to the Supreme Court.
First, a great understanding of the need for transparency in the institution. This means that the Court should disclose information that is of public interest, including caseloads of each justice, pending cases that have impact on our lives, and how they spend their funds plus savings.
Second, a deep appreciation of the importance of technology in reforming the Court.
Most urgent is to decongest dockets by digitizing case files.
In doing so, progress of each case can be monitored quickly.
This can lead to speedy justice.
Surely, Justice Leonen is only one voice in the Court.
But he is an addition to the reform-minded justices.
We hope he does not disappoint.