EV courts may lack manpower but are holding continuous trial

TACLOBAN CITY — Despite shortage in manpower, judges in trial courts in Eastern Visayas have started complying with the Supreme Court’s new directive for continuous trial for criminal cases.

In regional capital Tacloban City, four salas of the Regional Trial Court have been complying with the new judiciary rule on continuous trial, even if there is no regular court here yet.

RTC Branches 43 and 44, created about five years ago, are now still squeezing inside the RTC Library and Tacloban Philippine Mediation Center office, inside the Hall of Justice compound, for their respective staff room.

Branch 43, which for a short while was allowed to use the courtroom of the sole Family Court (RTC Br 7) now hold its sessions in the Library because Branch 7 is already holding whole-day sessions there.

Branch 44 continues to share the court room of RTC Branch 6, presided by Executive Judge Alphinor Serrano.

Branches 45 and 46 were only created recently and provided respective permanent judge only in July. Both of these salas are now trying to settle at the City Hall grounds for their staff and court rooms.

Under the Continuous Trial guidelines, trials should be held from Monday to Thursday, if necessary at exactly 8:30 a.m. for morning hearings, and at 2 p.m. for afternoon hearings. Hearing on motions, arraignment and pre-trial and promulgation of decisions shall be held in the morning of Fridays.