Re: Reduced On-Site Working Capacity in the Supreme Court

January 7, 2022

SUPREME COURT MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 4-2022

RE: REDUCED ON-SITE WORKING CAPACITY IN THE SUPREME COURT

It appearing that the recent massive infection of Supreme Court (SC) personnel may have been brought about by the reported highly transmissible Omicron variant, and considering the limited working spaces in the SC, upon consultation with the Court En Banc, 1 there is a need to reduce the on-site working capacity and modify the shifting implemented under Memorandum Order (MO) No. 110-2021 dated November 19, 2021 (as last modified under MO No. 1-2022 dated January 1, 2022). Accordingly, beginning January 10, 2022 and until further orders, one-third (1/3) of the work force shall be required to physically report on Mondays and Tuesdays (MT shift), another one-third (1/3) on Wednesdays and Thursdays (WTh shift) and the remaining one-third (1/3) on Fridays and Saturdays (FS shift), in order to minimize close physical contact among the SC personnel. It is understood that those who are not scheduled to report on-site shall be under WFH arrangement for three (3) days to complete the five (5) working days per week. The working hours shall be from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

This reduced working capacity shall not apply to the Office of the Bar Chair and Office of the Bar Confidant, Office of the Administrative Services-SC, MDS and Receiving Section of the Judicial Records Office where a greater number of personnel may be required to report on-site.

Chiefs of Offices/Services shall determine who among their personnel/staff shall be included in each shift, which can be under rotation every week. The individual health condition of those reporting on-site will be thoroughly checked upon entering the SC premises. They must not have even the slightest symptoms. They shall be monitored from time to time to ensure that they have no symptoms of COVID-19 infection. Chiefs of Offices/Services and their respective assistants may agree on an alternate shift reporting; however, Chiefs of Offices are on-call anytime.

The limited personal filing of initiatory pleadings, etc. which was allowed under MO No. 103-2021 dated November 5, 2021 is discontinued until further orders. Hence, all pleadings and other court submissions shall be filed in accordance with the guidelines set forth under Memorandum Order No. 65-2021 dated August 4, 2021.

For strict compliance.

Manila, Philippines, January 7, 2022.

(SGD.) ALEXANDER G. GESMUNDOChief Justice

Footnotes

1. IATF recognizes the co-equal or independent authority of the legislature (Senate and the House of Representatives), the judiciary (the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and the lower courts), the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Constitutional Commissions, to implement any alternative work arrangements (GUIDELINES ON THE NATIONWIDE IMPLEMENTATION OF ALERT LEVEL SYSTEM FOR COVID-19 RESPONSE as of December 14, 2021).

Published in the PHILJA Bulletin, Page 30 on January-March 2022.