MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) has approved the reorganization of the Judicial Integrity Board (JIB) into the Judicial Integrity Office (JIO) to improve the handling of administrative disciplinary cases and strengthen accountability across the Judiciary.

In a resolution penned by Associate Justice Antonio T. Kho Jr., the SC En Banc approved A.M. No. 23-12-05-SC, which formally created the JIO under the supervision and control of the Court.

The reorganization is part of the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027, following an organizational assessment and process mapping of the JIB, which was established in 2020. A technical working group recommended the creation of the JIO to streamline processes.

Under the new structure, the five-member JIB is replaced by a single Judicial Integrity Officer appointed by the SC. The Officer will serve a four-year term, renewable once, and may also be replaced upon the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice, based on the recommendation of the incoming Chief Justice.

The Judicial Integrity Officer must be at least 45 years old, have 15 years of legal practice, and possess experience in handling administrative complaints. The position carries a Salary Grade 30, Step 8 compensation.

The JIO is empowered to conduct fact-finding investigations, recommend penalties or clemency, and act on complaints involving justices, judges, officials, and employees of all courts and offices under the SC. Administrative complaints against members of the SC will continue to be handled by the Court’s Ethics Committee.

The JIO will also directly receive complaints and may initiate cases on its own, upon SC directive, or through referrals from other government agencies. It is authorized to issue subpoenas and recommend preventive suspensions.

For less serious offenses, the JIO will require a mandatory grievance conference before assigning a docket number to a case.

During the transition, the Acting JIB Chairperson will function as Judicial Integrity Officer, while the JIB members will serve as consultants until the end of their terms. JIB personnel will be transferred to the JIO until its staffing pattern is finalized.

The SC clarified that with the enactment of the Judiciary Marshals Act, the Corruption Prevention and Investigation Office has completed its purpose, with its functions assumed by the Judiciary Marshals.

Emphasizing its constitutional duty of administrative supervision over the courts, the SC said: “[The Court] will not hesitate to rid its ranks of undesirables who undermine its efforts towards an effective and efficient administration of justice, thus tainting its image in the eyes of the public.”

The resolution will take effect 15 days after its publication on August 20, 2025. Within a month from its effectivity, the SC will convene a technical working group to draft the JIO’s internal rules.