Due to the continuing difficulties imposed by the ongoing health crisis, the Supreme Court has extended until the first half of next year the validity of all notarial commissions set to expire by the end of 2021.
“Accordingly, all notarial commissions granted in 2019 and whose validity had been previously extended until December 31, 2021 pursuant to the Court’s December 1, 2020 and June 22, 2021 Resolutions are deemed further extended, and shall thus remain valid for an additional period of six months beginning January 1, 2022 until June 30, 2022,” the Court said through a two- page Resolution signed by En Banc Clerk of Court Marife M. Lomibao-Cuevas.
The Court stated that during the said six-month period, the notaries public whose terms are deemed extended pursuant to the latest Resolution shall continue performing notarial acts using their existing seals.
The latest extension was brought about by the letter-request of Atty. Rameses Victorius G. Villagonzalo, who sought to extend the validity of his notarial commission issued in 2020, which originally expires on December 31, 2021.
The said Resolution was circulated to the Office of the Bar Confidant, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the Philippine Bar Association, and the Judicial Reform Initiative.
This is the third extension of notarial commissions granted by the Court since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On December 1, 2020, the Court granted the request for automatic extension of the validity of existing notarial commissions granted in 2019 and expiring on December 31, 2020 for a period of six months, or until June 30, 2021.
On June 22, 2021, the Court further extended the validity of said notarial commissions for an additional period of six months beginning July 1, 2021, or until December 31, 2021.
(B.M. No. 3795 (Re: Request for Extension of Existing Notarial Commissions, September 28, 2021)
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