By Rey Panaligan All courts in the National Capital Region (NCR), in the province of Laguna, and Cebu City -- areas under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) – are still physically closed until May 31, Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta said on Thursday, May 14. The filing of cases and pleadings will be accepted online in MECQ areas and hearings of important and urgent cases, particularly those involving persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) and those related to the community quarantine – will be conducted via video conferencing. The SC had earlier uploaded in its website, sc.judiciary.gov.ph, all the hotlines, email addresses, and Facebook accounts of all courts in the country, and the list of courts authorized to conduct video conferencing. Peralta said that courts in MECQ areas will operate from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the cases and pleadings filed online must be transmitted and received by the courts from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday until May 29. The filing of petitions, appeals, complaints, motions, pleadings and other submissions that fall due up to May 31, 2020 before the courts in MECQ areas is extended counted from June 1, 2020, he said. But he pointed out that “pleadings and other court submissions may still be filed by the parties within the reglamentary period on or before May 31, 2020 through electronic means, if preferred and able.” He said “civil weddings may be solemnized, provided the parties, witnesses and guests shall not exceed five (5), as provided in the Guidelines on the Phased Transition from ECQ to GCQ, and health hygiene protocols and other public medical standards, e.g., wearing of face masks and face shields, subjecting everyone to no-contact thermal scanning, and observance of social distancing, shall be strictly observed during the ceremony.” At the same time, he said that “all official meetings, seminars, trainings and other functions in the Judiciary within the MECQ areas, unless conducted through videoconferencing, are deferred until after 31 May 2020, except those that may be called or authorized by the Chief Justice or by the Judiciary Task Force on COVID-19.” In the SC, Peralta said all petitions and pleadings will be received electronically. He said the SC may hold special full court or division sessions “anytime it may deem fit, either in person or through video conferencing.”#