A.M. No.

11-9-4-SC

EFFICIENT USE OF PAPER RULE

Recognizing that the judiciary uses excessive quantities of costly paper (for the purpose of
saving trees, conserving precious water and helping mother earth), the Supreme Court issued
the Efficient Use of Paper Rule (A.M. No. 11-9-4-SC; see full text). This Rule, which took effect
on 1 January 2013, prescribes the format of pleadings, motions and documents filed in courts.

Format and Style

a) All pleadings, motions and similar papers intended for the court and quasi-judicial body’s
consideration and action (court-bound papers) shall written in single space with one-and-a –
half space between paragraphs, using an easily readable font style of the party’s choice, of 14-
size font, and on a 13 –inch by 8.5- inch white bond paper; and

b) All decisions, resolutions and orders issued by courts and quasi-judicial bodies under the
administrative supervision of the Supreme Court shall comply with these requirements. Similarly
covered are the reports submitted to the courts and transcripts of stenographic notes.

Margins and Prints

The parties shall maintain the following margins on all court-bound papers: a left hand margin
of 1.5 inches from the edge; an upper margin of 1.2 inches from the edge; a right hand margin
of 1.0 inch from the edge; and a lower margin of 1.0 inch from the edge.

Every page must be consecutively numbered.

Copies to be filed

Unless otherwise directed by the court, the number of court- bound papers that a party is
required or desires to file shall be as follows:

a. In the Supreme Court, one original (properly marked) and four copies, unless the case is
referred to the Court En Banc, in which event, the parties shall file ten additional copies. For the
En Banc, the parties need to submit only two sets of annexes, one attached to the original and
an extra copy. For the Division, the parties need to submit also two sets of annexes, one
attached to the original and an extra copy. All members of the Court shall share the extra
copies of annexes in the interest of economy of paper.

Parties to cases before the Supreme Court are further required, on voluntary basis for the first
six months following the effectivity of this Rule and compulsorily afterwards unless the period
is extended, to submit, simultaneously with their court-bound papers, soft copies of the same
and their annexes (the latter in PDF format) either by email to the Court’s e-mail address or by
compact disc (CD). This requirement is in preparation for the eventual establishment of an e-
filing paperless system in the judiciary.

b. In the Court of Appeals and the Sandiganbayan, one original (properly marked) and two
copies with their annexes;

c. In the Court of Tax Appeals, one original (properly marked) and two copies with annexes. On
appeal to the En Banc, one Original (properly marked) and eight copies with annexes; and

d. In other courts, one original (properly marked) with the stated annexes attached to it.

Annexes Served on Adverse Party

A party required by the rules to serve a copy of his court-bound on the adverse party need not
enclose copies of those annexes that based on the record of the court such party already has in
his possession. In the event a party requests a set of the annexes actually filed with the court,
the part who filed the paper shall comply with the request within five days from receipt.

Applicability

This Rule applies to all courts and quasi-judicial bodies under the administrative supervision of
the Supreme Court.

The Rule, however, is silent on the effect/s of failure to comply with the requirements.
Under AM No. 11-9-4-SC (the Efficient Use of Paper Rule), the Court, under Chief Justice Maria Lourdes
P. A. Sereno, has required that all pleadings, motions, and similar papers intended for the consideration
of all courts and quasi-judicial bodies under the supervision of the Supreme Court shall be written in
single space with a one-and-a-half space between paragraphs, using an easily readable font style of the
party’s choice, of 14-size font, and on a 13-inch by 8.5-inch white bond paper.

All decisions, resolutions, and orders issued by courts and quasi-judicial bodies under the administrative
supervision of the High Tribunal, as well as reports submitted to the courts and transcripts of
stenographic notes, shall comply with the said requirements.

All court-bound papers to be submitted by every party shall likewise maintain a left hand margin of 1.5
inches from the edge; an upper margin of 1.2 inches from the edge; a right hand margin of one inch
from the edge; and a lower margin of one inch from the edge. Every page must be consecutively
numbered.

The Rule also specified the number of court-bound papers in a particular court that a party is required or
desires to file unless otherwise directed by the court.

In the Supreme Court for instance, parties are required to file one original (properly marked) and four
copies, unless the case is referred to the Court En Banc, in which event, the parties shall file 10
additional copies. For the En Banc, the parties need to submit only two sets of annexes, one attached to
the original and one extra copy. For the Division, the parties need to submit also two sets of annexes,
one attached to the original, as well as an extra copy. All members of the Court shall share the extra
copies of annexes in the interest of economy of paper.

In preparation for the eventual establishment of an e-filing paperless system in the Judiciary, the parties
to cases before the Supreme Court are further required to submit, simultaneously with their court-
bound papers, soft or electronic copies of the same and their annexes (the latter in PDF format) either
by email to the Court’s e-mail address or by compact disc. This additional requirement will be on a
voluntary basis for the first six months following the effectivity of the said Rule and compulsorily
afterwards unless the period is extended.

In the Court of Appeals and the Sandiganbayan, parties are required to submit one original (properly
marked) and two copies with their annexes; and in the Court of Tax Appeals, one original (properly
marked) and two copies with annexes, and on appeal to the En Banc, one original (properly marked) and
eight copies with annexes.

Parties before the trial courts are required to submit one original (properly marked) with the stated
annexes attached to it.

Also, a party required by the rules to serve a copy of his or her court-bound paper on the adverse party
need not enclose copies of those annexes that, based on the records of the court, show said party
already has such. In the event a party requests a set of the annexes actually filed with the court, the
party who filed the paper shall comply with the request within five days from receipt of such. (AM No.
11-9-4-SC, Efficient Use of Paper Rule, November 13, 2012, and based on the article written by J.B.
Rempillo: 
Judicial-Affidavit Rule 

the Supreme Court of the Philippines unanimously adopted a new procedural rule that
mandates the use of judicial affidavits for direct witness testimony in most cases in
first- and second-level courts and quasi-judicial bodies nationwide.
identified key litigation procedures that can be amended to reduce trial times in a
country where cases take an average of six years to resolve.

Under the new rule, instead of conducting direct testimony in court, attorneys will submit
affidavits with questions and answers that witnesses have supplied while under oath. To give
opposing counsel sufficient review time, the affidavits must be submitted at least five days prior
to a preliminary conference in a case or the hearing of motions. In trial, attorneys cross-examine
witnesses based on the already submitted affidavits. Deputy Court Administrator Raul
Villanueva said that the rule will cut “the presentation of witnesses,” which accounts for much of
a trial’s length, by 50 percent.

The judicial-affidavit rule is part of the Philippine judiciary’s larger campaign to reduce trial
times and increase judicial efficiency and access to justice. Other reforms, such as limiting the
number of pages in briefs and the number of continuances lawyers can request, are still being
tested in Quezon City, with ongoing support from ABA ROLI and USAID. ABA ROLI has
worked closely with the Philippine Supreme Court and other stakeholders to craft and implement
pilot rules, and to develop a system for monitoring and evaluating their effectiveness. ABA
ROLI solicits inputs from judges, lawyers and court personnel to ensure that the resulting rules
address stakeholder-identified problems. ABA ROLI has also trained affected personnel to
support the successful implementation of the rules.