<--!01272009-->A.M. No. 09-1-22-RTC Request for the Designation of Additional Drug Court in Davao City

January 27, 2009

[A.M. No. 09-1-22-RTC]

Sirs/Mesdames :

Quoted hereunder, for your information, is a resolution of the Court En Banc dated January 27, 2009

"A.M. No. 09-1-22-RTC. — Request for the Designation of Additional Drug Court in Davao City. — The Court Resolved, upon the recommendation of the Office of the Court Administrator, to:

(a) GRANT the request of Atty. Adoracion P. Cruz-Avisado, Executive Director, Transformative Justice Institute (TJI), for the designation of additional drug court in Davao City to facilitate the immediate disposal of drug cases thereat; and HCITcA

(b) DESIGNATE RTC, Branch 13, Davao City, as additional drug court.

The following rules shall be observed in the unloading of cases:

(i) The Presiding Judge of the newly designated drug court shall continue trying and deciding cases pending in his sala, where trial has already begun. For this purpose, trial has begun when the accused or in case of several accused in a criminal case, all of them have been arraigned;

(ii) Newly filed drug cases shall be assigned to RTC, Branch 13, Davao City, until such time that there is equitable distribution of cases between Branches 9 and 13;

(iii) The Executive Judge shall see to it that equitable distribution of case is affected; and

(iv) The guidelines set forth in the Resolution dated August 1, 2008 in A.M. No. 00-8-01-SC (Resolution Designating Certain Branches of the Regional Trial Courts for Drug Cases Regardless of the Quantity of the Drugs Involved) shall be observed in so far as applicable." Puno, C.J., Ynares-Santiago, Azcuna and Velasco, Jr., JJ., on official leave. (adv83)

Very truly yours,

(SGD.) MA. LUISA D. VILLARAMA

Clerk of Court