THE Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended for two weeks the reglementary period for the filing of petitions and other court submissions in five areas which have been placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) following a spike in COVID-19 transmission.
Administrative Circular No.43A-2020 issued by Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta likewise said courts in the National Capital Region, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite and Bulacan will be physically closed from August 4 to 18.
“The reglementary periods for the filing of petitions, appeals, complaints, motions, pleadings and other court submissions before the courts shall be suspended from August 4 to August 18 and shall resume on August 19, 2020, without prejudice to those who have already filed such pleadings and documents within their reglementary periods,” the circular said.
It added that “the periods for court actions with prescribed periods are likewise suspended, and shall resume on August 19, 2020.”
It is not the first time that the SC ordered courts to be physically closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last March after President Duterte placed Metro Manila and other areas on lockdown, Peralta also ordered courts to be temporarily closed and allowed judicial processes such as hearings to be conducted via videoconferencing.
