The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) in Quezon City remains physically closed until April 18.
"Due to the reported increase in the number of OMB employees who have been infected with the COVID-19 virus and in support of the government’s effort to limit the number of people who go out of their homes, the Office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City will be closed on April 12 to 18, 2021," the OMB’s advisory stated.
The National Capital Region (NCR) and its nearby provinces of Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite and Rizal have been placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until April 30.
MECQ was also imposed in Santiago City in Isabela and the provinces of Quirino and Abra.
All courts – including the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals and the Sandiganbayan -- in the MECQ areas are also physically closed until April 18 based on an administrative circular issued by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo.
Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires has imposed strict quarantine measures since last year, with only limited employees allowed inside the OMB offices, while visitors without pre-scheduled appointments are strictly disallowed.
OMB prosecutors were even instructed to stop filing cases before the Sandiganbayan in an effort to curb the transmission of COVID-19. But despite these efforts, some Ombudsman employees still caught the virus.
Martires has instructed all unit heads, directors, deputy special prosecutors, and assistant Ombudsmen to coordinate with their respective staff on their work from home assignments and conduct online meetings.
"All officials and employees are urged to do his/her part to arrest the continuing rise of COVID-19 cases and enjoined to refrain from unnecessarily going out of their homes," he stressed.