In what could be his strongest statement yet about corruption in the judiciary, Chief Justice Renato C. Corona Sunday warned so-called “hoodlums in robes” that their days are numbered.

Saying that wrong will find no refuge in the Corona Court, the Chief Justice said he would be particular about the image of the judiciary and getting rid of dishonest and corrupt judges will be one of his priorities.

“Improving human structure is essential in maintaining integrity which in the final analysis gives us the right to judge,” Corona said during a recent speaking engagement.

He said that corruption in the judiciary – whether real or perceived – is “particularly insidious and reprehensible.”

“A corrupt judiciary is totally unacceptable as it severely handicaps the legal and institutional mechanism designed to curb abuses in government,” Corona said.

Corona, whose eight-year term exceeds the six-year term of incoming President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, vowed to continue to cleanse the court’s ranks by making sure that its crooked members will not only be meted out with dismissal but also disbarment so they can no longer practice law.

“I believe that a member of the judiciary who is found guilty of dishonesty should not only be dismissed from the service but also disbarred. No ifs, no buts,” he stressed.

“Hoodlums in robes” refer to judges and court personnel who either sell cases or simply incompetent.

Apart from strengthening the integrity of the judiciary, Corona said he would also work for the de-clogging of the court dockets.

The Chief Justice said that as of last year, lower courts had a total of 618,649 pending cases and during the same period, it disposed of 363,297 cases – 237,136 of which were decided or resolved.

He said one reason why the courts are saddled with cases is the adversarial process in dispute resolution, where premium is given to due process which, according to him, has been exploited by some “since due process embraces the fundamental concept of fair trial with the opportunity to be heard.”

“The time spent hearing all sides has considerable impact on the rendition of judgments,” he lamented. “To the average Juan de la Cruz, this means delays.”

Another reason, he said, is the liberal system of appeals which allows appeals from all lower courts up to the Supreme Court (SC).

He noted that the average processing time for the High Court in deciding cases is 1.43 years and it takes 1.32 years for the Court of Appeals to resolve cases, 6.6 years for the Sandiganbayan and 2.6 years for the Court of Tax Appeals.

Corona said the country’s overwhelming population and the lack of judges make it hard for the courts to dispose of all the cases.

In a country with more than 90 million people, Corona said a judge has to server around 52,077 persons when the ideal judge to population ration is 1 judge per 10,000 inhabitants.

Therefore, Corona underscored the need to strengthen the barangay justices system so that cases will be resolved at their level and will not reach the courts whose dockets are already heavily clogged.

Corona said he would also promote the use of alternative dispute resolution, specifically arbitration and mediation, in cases that have already found their way to the lower courts.