By Khriscielle Yalao
Antipolo City’s five Municipal Trial Courts (MTCs) and 24 Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) will be closed from Thursday, Jan. 13 until Monday, Jan. 31, following the memorandum released by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Jan. 12.
Memorandum Order No. 10-2022, issued by the Supreme Court, indicated the temporary physical closure of all courts from Jan. 13 to 31 in the National Capital Region, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan, and 15 other areas that have been placed under Alert Level 3, due to the resurgence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.
Per the memorandum, hearings for urgent matters in the courts will continue through remote video conferencing.
These urgent matters may include petitions for habeas corpus, temporary protection orders, petitions for bail, and cases related to the upcoming elections or cases involving incarcerated individuals.
All courts remain remotely operational, and can be reached via their respective mobile numbers, and emails.
Antipolo City’s RTC Branch 73, in particular, said court inquiries such as hearing dates and other services may still be availed of by contacting 09993071403 / 0289422680, or sending an email ([email protected]) or messages Facebook messenger from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. only.
The landline numbers of the Antipolo RTC Branch 73 are currently unavailable.
Many courts in Antipolo City have previously closed with varying closing and reopening schedules throughout the month to cope with court personnel contracting the COVID-19 virus.
RTC Branch 73 also closed from Jan. 17 to Jan. 19, and RTC Branch 97 closed from Jan. 5 to 18 to make way for the quarantine period of the staff who tested positive for COVID-19.
All MTCs in Antipolo were closed on Jan. 10 from 12 noon to 3 p.m, particularly MTC Branch 1 on Jan. 12 from 12 noon for sanitation and disinfection.
As of Jan. 11, Antipolo City recorded 106 active COVID-19 cases, 20,546 confirmed cases, 19,366 recoveries, and 481 deaths.