The Supreme Court (SC) announced today that it is extending the physical closure of all courts and court offices.
In a statement, Acting Chief Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe said that because of the alarming surge of COVID-19 cases and upon consultation with the members of the Court en banc, the Supreme Court decided to extend the physical closure of all courts and court offices (Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and trial courts) in the National Capital Judicial Region and in Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.
The extension will be effective March 29, 2021 (Monday) to March 31, 2021 (Wednesday) and throughout the Holy Week.
This means that all hearings in the courts in these areas will be “temporarily suspended during this period except on urgent matters, such as, but not limited to petitions, motions and pleadings in relation to bail and habeas corpus, promulgation of judgments of acquittal, reliefs for those who may be arrested or detained during this period, and other related actions that may be filed in relation to measured imposed at the local and national levels to address the declared health emergency.”
However, these courts will remain accessible to the public through their respective hotlines and email addresses, as published in the Supreme Court website, https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/hotlines to be able to act on urgent matters and address pertinent queries.
Acting Chief Justice Perlas-Bernabe, however, explained that although the pandemic posed dire challenges, the “judicial institution remains unified, steadfast and hopeful to rise to the occasion as we all overcome this health crisis together with a renewed sense of optimism and courage, and an underlying regard for justice and the rule of law.”