Cebu City Hall of Justice ‘reopens’ on June 9

The Cebu City Hall of Justice that is located at the Qimonda IT Center. | CDN File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines —The filing of pleadings, applications for bail, and other court submissions will already be a hybrid of physical and electronic means at the Cebu City Hall of Justice (CCHJ) as the court physically reopens this Tuesday, June 9, 2020.

Cebu City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Macaundas Hadjirasul, in a memorandum issued on Monday, June 8, said the courts in CCHJ will already be in full operations although presiding judges may still opt to work with a skeletal force.

Hearing through video conferencing will continue to be observed for cases involving persons detained in jail facilities. The CCHJ started to conduct online hearings since May 4, 2020, as hundreds of inmates at the Cebu City Jail were reported to have contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

“Video conferencing hearing is also allowed in cases “with extraordinary circumstances” as may be determined by the judge,” Hadjirasul’s memorandum added.

Read: Cebu City Hall of Justice to remain closed until June 5

For civil weddings, the CCHJ also limits the number of persons inside the courtroom to five, including the bride and the groom.

While pleadings and other court submissions may already be filed physically, Hadjirasul said filing the documents online remains the “safest and healthiest” means of doing such.

Walk-in inquiries, requests, and other transactions, however, are still prohibited in CCHJ. Inquiries on concerns or requesting documents should be done through calls and emails to the courts’ hotlines and official email addresses, the memorandum said.

Last May 13, the CCHJ was ordered physically closed to the public after an outsourced personnel there was identified as a close contact of a COVID-19 patient.

At least 30 personnel of the court were tested for COVID-19 last May 15 and one was found positive for the infection when the results were released on May 27. / dcb