Pairing System in the Regional Trial Courts
OCA Circular No. 7-86, issued on June 3, 1986, outlines the pairing system for Regional Trial Courts in the Philippines. Each branch of the court is paired with another, allowing judges to handle incidental matters or conduct trials in the absence of their paired judge. In cases where both judges are unavailable for over a month, the Executive Judge may take over these responsibilities. The circular emphasizes compliance and requires Executive Judges to report the pairing arrangements to the Court Administrator. This system does not apply to single sala courts with fixed jurisdictions.
June 3, 1986
OCA CIRCULAR NO. 7-86
| TO | : | All Executive Judges and Judges of the Regional Trial Courts |
| SUBJECT | : | Pairing System in the Regional Trial Courts |
Quoted hereunder for your ready reference are the provisions of Circular No. 7 dated September 23, 1974 of the Court, to wit:
"VIII. PAIRING SYSTEM
"A pairing system shall be established whereby every branch shall be considered as paired with another branch. In the event of vacancy in any branch, or of the absence or disability of the judge thereof, all incidental or interlocutory matters pertaining to it may be acted upon by the judge of the other branch paired with it. The latter may likewise conduct trials or hearings on the merits in criminal cases with detention prisoners assigned to the other branch, as well as in other kinds of cases, subject to the conformity of the parties. cd
"For the purpose of the pairing system, Branch I shall be paired with Branch II, Branch III with Branch IV, and so on and any branch in a station left without a pair shall be paired with the branch presided by the Executive Judge in addition to the latter's regular pair. In case of vacancy in the two branches paired with each other, or prolonged absence of both presiding judges of the paired branches, the incidental or interlocutory matters pertaining to any or both branches shall be acted upon by the Executive Judge. 'Prolonged absence' means absence of one month or more.
"In stations or groupings where the branches are irregularly numbered, the foregoing rule shall be applied in the most analogous manner.
"IX. This Circular shall not apply to single salas whose territorial jurisdictions are definitely fixed. . . ."
Executive Judges are hereby reminded to strictly comply with the aforementioned circular and to immediately inform this Court, through the Office of the Court Administrator, of the pairing judges in their respective stations. cd
Please be guided accordingly.
June 3, 1986.
(SGD.) LEO D. MEDIALDEACourt AdministratorOffice of the Court Administrator