The Supreme Court (SC) has approved new uniform guidelines governing the suspension of work and court operations in trial courts during typhoons, calamities, transport strikes, holidays, and similar disruptions.
Approved by the SC en banc on October 28, the guidelines establish clear procedures to ensure uniformity and consistency across all trial courts.
“While the Chief Justice retains the authority to suspend work and court operations, the guidelines allow limited delegation to the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA), including the Office of the Regional Court Manager (ORCM) for their respective areas, and Executive Judges for their stations,” the SC said in a statement.
Under the new rules, the ORCM may suspend work and court operations for up to three consecutive days in cases of typhoons or heavy rainfall, based on government advisories and local conditions. For sudden calamities like earthquakes, fires, or volcanic eruptions, the Executive Judge may declare a one-day suspension and must report to the ORCM within 24 hours.
The ORCM may extend suspensions for up to two additional days if necessary, while any suspension beyond three days requires clearance from the Court Administrator.
Similar provisions apply to transport strikes, rallies, and utility interruptions. For instance, if power is expected to be out for over two hours, the Executive Judge may suspend work and notify the ORCM through email, SMS, or messaging apps.
For holidays, the ORCM must announce suspensions for permanent local holidays at least one week in advance, while Executive Judges must immediately inform the ORCM of any temporary non-working holidays declared by the President.
The SC also emphasized that Executive Judges must maintain a skeleton workforce to handle urgent matters such as bail applications, release orders, and writs of habeas corpus.
“Work suspensions must be done judiciously. Abuse of authority may lead to administrative action,” the SC warned.