SC sets guidelines for operation of courts in Odette-hit areas

Trial courts will resume their operations on January 3, 2022, according to the Supreme Court (SC) on Friday.

Under Circular 160-2021 issued by Deputy Court Administrator Raul Villanueva on December 29, all protocols under the courts’ area of respective alert level classification, with or without restrictions, shall remain in effect.

Courts in areas affected by Typhoon Odette may be governed by the same protocols, depending on the alert levels that these areas are placed on, but subject to modifications as may be determined by the Executive/Presiding Judges "if normal court operations cannot yet commence due to the prevailing situation," the circular read.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the most affected areas were Palawan, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Southern Leyte, Leyte, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Norte.

The reported death toll due to the typhoon has climbed to 405, the agency added. — VBL, GMA News