A.T.A. LAW ORAL ARGUMENTS LIKELY TO GO VIRTUAL, TOO, AMID PANDEMIC

THE Supreme Court announced on Thursday that the continuation of the oral argument on the 37 petitions seeking to declare as unconstitutional the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020 will be conducted virtually.

The Court, however, has yet to set a definite schedule for the continuation of the oral argument, but said it would be held two weeks after the lifting of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region, likely to be on April 27, May 4 and May 11.

“The continuation of the oral arguments shall be through videoconferencing with live audio streaming made available to the public,” the SC said through Clerk of Court Marife M. Lomibao-cuevas.

“The technical details and the rules for the videoconferenced oral arguments pro hac vice [for this occasion] shall be promulgated as soon as the Court en banc is able to convene,” it added.

The SC was supposed to hold the continuation of the oral argument last Tuesday but it was canceled for the fifth time as the SC and other courts in the National Capital Region and its nearby provinces have remained closed due to the surge in Covid-19 infections.

The NCR, along nearby provinces such as Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal, were initially placed under ECQ from March 29 until April 4, but because of the rise in cases, the government extended the ECQ period in these areas for another week, from April 5 until April 11.

This prompted the Court to extend anew the physical closure of all courts in areas under ECQ.

SC first postponed the oral arguments last February 23, followed by three consecutive postponements on March 9, March 16, and March 23, and the latest is April 6.