Skeleton Workforce for Court Operations and Conduct of Videoconferencing Hearings from 5 to 8 July 2022 until Further Orders of the Court

July 4, 2022

OCA CIRCULAR NO. 166-2022

 

Pursuant to OCA Circular No. 159-2022 dated 30 June 2022, the required workforce for courts in areas under Alert Level 1 or 2 is as follows:

 

ALERT LEVEL 1	ALERT LEVEL 2
Full on-site staff complement to report for work	Maintain a workforce of at least 80%

 

Due to the reported continued increase in COVID-19 cases, upon authority of Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, and to address any possible surge or rise therein, the required workforce for court operations from 5 to 8 July 2022, whether in areas under Alert Level 1 or 2 as classified by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) in its Resolution No. 169-A dated 27 June 2022, shall be as follows:

ALERT LEVEL 1 OR 2

Maintain a workforce of at least 50% to 75%

The skeleton workforce that a branch or judicial office will maintain for the above period will be subject to the discretion or determination of the concerned Executive Judge, Presiding Judge, and/or Acting/Assisting Judge.

Further, while in-court or face-to-face hearings are given priority per OCA Circular No. 42-2022 dated 28 February 2022, all Judges are hereby allowed or permitted for the same period, 4 to 8 July 2022, to conduct fully-remote videoconferencing hearings, regardless of their location in the country, with notice to the Office of the Court Administrator.

Unless otherwise subsequently directed, the required workforce and in-person or face-to-face hearings as provided for in OCA Circular No. 159-2022 will again be observed and complied with on 11 July 2022 until further orders of the Court.

For the strict compliance and observance of all concerned.

(SGD.) RAUL B. VILLANUEVACourt Administrator