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SC conducts first online session amid COVID-19 threat

As the world grapples with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Supreme Court (SC) met through video conferencing on Friday, the first time the highest Philippine court held deliberations online.

The SC Public Information Office tweeted a screenshot of all 15 justices after their meeting was adjourned.

"Took us days to prepare, to get used to the software and hardware, sharing with each other our knowledge and skills," Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said on Twitter.

"We even did a dry run so we could be sure that no one will be left behind in the discussion because of the technology and the encrypted transfer of documents," he said.

He said the discussions were "as serious and as lively" as in their face-to-face meetings.

"For almost all of us, our younger staff and even our families in our respective households helped orient us and gave us the confidence to embrace this technology," the justice tweeted.

In this historic en banc session, the SC ordered prison and jail authorities to comment on a petition seeking the release of detainees who claimed they are vulnerable to COVID-19 due to their age and/or underlying physical and medical conditions.

Comments are due on April 24, according to the SC PIO.

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology announced on Friday that nine detainees at the Quezon City Jail and nine personnel have tested positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the SC deferred action on a petition seeking the disclosure of  President Rodrigo Duterte's health records. The case is still being deliberated, the SC PIO said. -NB, GMA News