The Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) has allowed courts inside the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus bubble to reduce their operational capacity to 30% until April 16, 2021.
Circular 44-2021, issued by Court Administrator Midas Marquez, advises courts to “drastically reduce the court personnel in all court levels.”
First- and second-level courts in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal shall maintain only a skeleton force sufficient to attend to all urgent matters starting today until April 16, 2021.
Courts in the NCR Plus bubble may also conduct “fully remote video-conferencing hearings” during the said period even without permission from OCA.
“The said judges may likewise conduct such fully remote video-conferencing hearings outside their respective judicial regions, but only in the resolution of bail applications of persons deprived of liberty, provided that they are within the NCJR [National Capital Judicial Region] or the four provinces,” the circular clarified.
Previously, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force to place NCR and four nearby provinces on general community quarantine (GCQ) status to halt the spread of the coronavirus. – Kenneth Paciente
