Courts in ECQ areas ‘physically closed’ till May 15: SC

Facade of the Supreme Court (Photo By Aerous – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)

MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) has extended anew the courts’ continued operation despite physical closure for the duration of the government’s enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), which has been extended to May 15.

In an administrative circular dated April 27, Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta said all courts in areas under ECQ shall remain physically closed and may be reached only through their respective hotline numbers, email addresses, and/or Facebook accounts.

While the courts remain physically closed to all court-users in ECQ areas, they shall continue to operate from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays until May 15.

All electronic communications, however, must be transmitted by court-users from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The online filing of criminal complaints and information, posting of bail, and submission of other urgent pleadings will continue to be in effect.

Likewise, the filing of petitions, appeals, complaints, motions, pleadings, and other court submissions that fall due up to May 15 in ECQ areas has been extended for 30 calendar days from May 16, but pleadings and other court submissions may still be filed by the parties within the reglementary period on or before May 15 through electronic means.

Meanwhile, the SC also issued an administrative circular announcing the pilot testing of hearings of criminal cases through videoconferencing.

The courts in the pilot testing will use Microsoft Teams software application for the proceedings during the public health emergency period.

It said the measure was needed in light of the reported infection of some persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in different detention cells and the serious need to restrain the movement of clients, inmates, judges, and court personnel to further reduce the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).