DUE to the rising number of COVID-19 cases and to minimize if not totally prevent further transmission, the Supreme Court and Sandiganbayan on Sunday came up with several guidelines beginning Monday, January 10, 2022.

Supreme Court

Effective January 10, 2022 and until further orders, a skeleton workforce in the Office of the Clerk of Court, Division Clerks of Court, Judicial Records Office, Financial Management and Budget Office-SC, Office of Administrative Services, and Office of the Court Administrator (OCA), Financial Management Office-OCA, Court Management and Legal Offices of OCA, and Internal Audit Service, shall be required to report on-site from Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Those who are not required to report on-site shall be under work from home arrangement.

The justices shall determine the number and schedule of their staff who will be required to report for work on-site in their respective chambers.

The above on-site skeleton workforce shall not apply to the Office of the Bar Chair, Office of the Bar Confidant, and other offices involved in the preparation of the scheduled Bar examinations, Medical and Dental Services, and Security Division and Maintenance Division.

Chiefs of Offices/Services shall determine who among their personnel shall be included in the skeleton workforce, which can be under rotation every week. The individual health condition of those reporting on-site will be thoroughly checked upon entering the SC premises. They must not have even the slightest symptoms.

They shall be monitored from time to time to ensure that they have no symptoms of Covid-19 infection. Chiefs of Offices/Services and their respective assistants may agree on an alternate shift reporting; however, Chiefs of Offices are on-call anytime.

Likewise, Chiefs of Offices/Services shall continue to submit monthly accomplishment reports of their employees under the WFH arrangement within the first five (5) days of the following month, to the Chief, Office of Administrative Services, Supreme Court, who is also directed to submit a report to the undersigned as to which offices/services/divisions/units failed to comply herewith.

The limited personal filing of initiatory pleadings, etc. which was allowed under MO No. 103-2021 dated November 5, 2021 is discontinued until further orders. Hence, all pleadings and other court submissions shall be filed in accordance with the guidelines set forth under Memorandum Order No. 65-2021 dated August 4, 2021.

The provisions of earlier Memorandum Orders which are inconsistent herewith are deemed modified.

Sandiganbayan

1. The official working days and hours shall be from Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.;

2. The Office of the Presiding Justice and the Offices of the Associate Justices shall operate with a skeleton staff in accordance with the respective discretions of the Presiding Justice and Associate Justices;

3. The Divisions of the Sandiganbayan may conduct videoconferencing hearings on pending cases, whether urgent or not, as far as practicable, as may be determined by the Presiding Justice or the Chairpersons of the Divisions concerned;

4. Raffle of cases shall likewise be conducted via videoconferencing;

5. All essential offices/services/divisions of the Sandiganbayan shall maintain the necessary skeleton staff, to be determined by their respective Heads, to ensure the continued efficient and smooth operations of the Court. All Heads of offices/services/divisions are on-call anytime; and,

Personal filing/service of pleadings and other court submissions shall not be allowed. Accordingly, filing/service may be done via registered mail, through the services of duly accredited private couriers, or by transmitting them through electronic mail in accordance with the existing electronic filing guidelines.