Creation of the Office of the Court Administrator Central Disaster Coordination, Monitoring and Response Team (OCA CDCMRT)

October 3, 2022

OCA CIRCULAR NO. 262-2022

 

The Philippines is prone to natural calamities like earthquake, typhoons, storm surges, floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and other human induced disasters like acts of terrorism, fire incidences, war, and armed conflicts. The recent disaster events (super typhoon and earthquakes) highlight the need to establish appropriate disaster management measures to effectively assist the Judges and personnel of the lower courts in times of natural and/or human induced disasters.

The Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) in its mandate to effectively assist the Supreme Court in the exercise of its administrative supervisory functions vis-à-vis the lower courts, hereby creates the OCA Central Disaster Coordination, Monitoring and Response Team (OCA CDCMRT) and establishes the following disaster reportorial and response mechanisms:

A. CONTACT NUMBERS OR HOTLINES

1. The OCA CDCMRT can be contacted through its email address:

 

OCA CDCMRT

[email protected]

 

2. The Office of the Deputy Court Administrators, the Office of the Assistant Court Administrators and the line Offices in the OCA shall likewise have a designated contact/point person authorized to receive reports from the lower courts and monitor reports forwarded by the OCA CDCMRT. For this purpose, each Office can be contacted through the following email addresses:

 

Office of the Deputy Court Administrator for Luzon — Atty. V. Edmark O. Arcol/Atty. Jhoeben B. Villanueva	[email protected]
Office of the Deputy Court Administrator for Visayas — Atty. Jackie F. Corsiga	[email protected]
Office of the Deputy Court Administrator for Mindanao — Jamie S. Tanjutco	[email protected]
Office of the Assistant Court Administrator LBCCo — Atty. Pia Jannie M. Barredo-Paa	[email protected]
Office of the Assistant Court Administrator MRAFMI — Eileen L. Salva	[email protected]
1. Office of the Administrative Services (OAS), OCA — Amalia A. Adan	[email protected]
Financial Management Office (FMO), OCA — Myla M. Fronda	[email protected]
Office on the Halls of Justice (OHJ), OCA — Baby Kristine M. Abuel	[email protected]
Court Management Office (CMO), OCA — Almira T. Alvarez	[email protected]
Legal Office, OCA — Atty. Amelito O. Bugtas	[email protected]

 

B. REPORTING PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES:

1. Once a disaster occurs (natural or human-induced), the Presiding Judge, or Branch Clerk of Court/Officer-in-Charge, or in their absence or incapacity, any personnel from the branch shall within three (3) to twelve (12) hours or within a reasonable period after the onset of the disaster submit an initial report/situationer report to the OCA CDCMRT or directly to the concerned DCA, ACA or line Offices in the OCA. The initial report/situationer report should contain their station/location, situation overview, the number of affected personnel and court properties damaged or destroyed due to the calamity/disaster, if adequate information is available. The concerned Judge or Branch Clerk of Court/Officer-in-Charge shall submit a progress report within twenty-four (24) hours after the onset of the disaster, unless a longer period is required to submit the same by reasons outside of their control;

2. If the initial report was filed with the OCA CDCMRT, it shall within twenty-four (24) hours then evaluate all the reports and determine to which Office it should be forwarded, copy furnished the Court Administrator;

3. The OCA CDCMRT shall, copy furnished the Court Administrator, forward to the concerned DCA, ACA, or line Offices in the OCA, the report for their appropriate action;

4. The DCA, ACA or line Offices must within twenty-four (24) hours respond to the reportee of the initial action taken, copy furnished the OCA CDCMRT and the Court Administrator;

5. If the initial report was filed with the concerned DCA, ACA or line Offices, the designated point person, upon the approval of the concerned DCA, ACA or Chief of Office, forward the same within twenty-four (24) hours, to the OCA CDCMRT and the Court Administrator for recording purposes. If an action has been made, the same should be indicated in the report;

6. The OCA CDCMRT shall submit a terminal report to the Court Administrator upon conclusion of the necessary disaster monitoring operation containing the response/actions taken by the concerned DCA, ACA and line Offices of the OCA for his information;

7. A post disaster review shall be undertaken by the Court Administrator, Deputy Court Administrators, Assistant Court Administrators, and the Chiefs of Office to evaluate and assess the response/actions undertaken for further improvement of OCA's disaster response system; and,

8. The Court Administrator shall regularly update the Office of the Chief Justice about the disaster that hit affected lower courts, judges and/or personnel.

For information and compliance.

(SGD.) RAUL B. VILLANUEVACourt Administrator