The Supreme Court (SC) suspended anew on Monday afternoon, March 22, the scheduled March 23 oral arguments on 37 petitions against the constitutionality of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
In an announcement, the SC reset the arguments to April 6. It said the suspension is “due to the alarming increase of COVID (coronavirus disease) cases.
The SC said early Monday morning, March 22, it has 33 active cases of COVID-19 infections among employees in its offices on Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila.
Since the start of the arguments last Feb. 2, the legal debates had been suspended last Feb. 23, and March 9 and 16 as preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19.
Oral arguments are done on-site at the SC’s full court session hall. Only authorized persons are allowed inside the hall.
After four sessions, the petitioners have completed the presentation of their arguments on the alleged unconstitutionality of ATA.
The side of the government will be presented when the oral arguments resume April 6.
All the 37 petitions asked the SC to declare ATA, under Republic Act No. 11479, unconstitutional in its entirety.
Also, all the petitions sought the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) that could stop the law’s implementation which started on July 18, 2020.
The SC is yet to tackle the pleas for TRO which were reiterated by several petitioners during the past oral arguments.