The Supreme Court (SC) has introduced a pioneering Judicial Burnout Scale app aimed at detecting and addressing mental health challenges among Filipino judges.
The app, launched on May 30, 2025, was developed by the SC Governing Council for Mental Health (GCMH) as part of the SC C.A.R.E.S. Program, aligned with the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022–2027.
According to the SC, the tool is designed to identify signs of burnout that can impair judges’ decision-making and threaten the fairness of the justice system.
The World Health Organization, as cited by the SC, defines burnout as a workplace syndrome characterized by exhaustion, detachment, and reduced performance.
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo and Associate Justice Mario V. Lopez, Chairperson and Working Vice Chairperson of the SC GCMH respectively, led the launch ceremony at the SC Session Hall in Manila.
“This tool not only detects warning signs of burnout; it will also guide the Court in designing mental health programs, policy reforms, and interventions that promote our judges’ overall well-being,” Justice Lopez emphasized.
The SC said that the app’s design draws from the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey and incorporates Filipino cultural values such as hiya (sense of shame), pakikisama (getting along with others), and malasakit (empathy), to better capture how Filipino judges experience and express burnout.
Developed with guidance from clinical psychologists Drs. Arnulfo V. Lopez, Antero Rosario V. Arias Jr., and Joy R. Tungol, the app underwent focus group discussions with judges in March, followed by pilot testing in April and a trial run in May.
The final prototype was evaluated by over 300 judges at the Regional Mental Health Summit in Davao City on May 23.
Judges nationwide can access the app via a link from the SC through Microsoft Power Apps or mobile browsers, with plans underway to make it available to all court personnel.
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