SC orders physical closure of courts in Santiago City, Quirino, Abra

Published April 12, 2021 11:23 AM

Courts in Santiago City and the provinces of Quirino and Abra will be physically closed until April 18 after President Rodrigo Duterte placed these areas under a more stringent lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The guidelines on the physical closure of courts

in NCR Plus areas will also be applied in Santiago City, Quirino and Abra, which are currently under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), according to Court Administrator Midas Marquez.

This means the filing and service of pleadings and motions is suspended and shall resume seven calendar days counted from the first day of physical reopening of a certain court.

These courts shall continue to operate through videoconferencing “as far as practicable,” the Supreme Court (SC) said.

“The essential judicial offices shall maintain the necessary skeleton staff to attend to all urgent concerns,” the SC said.

The NCR Plus areas, Santiago City, Quirino and Abra will be under MECQ until April 30. — Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News

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