Manila judge disputes Isko: Court received no case on curfew violators

MANILA, Philippines – Despite drastically reducing operations, the Supreme Court has assured the public that it will continue to attend to urgent matters including cases for violating curfew ordinances.

The Supreme Court issued the statement after Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Wednesday evening announced that 16 violators of Manila’s curfew ordinance have failed to post bail after courts in the city have suspended operations.

But according to Manila Metropolitan Trial Court (MeTC) Executive Judge Carissa Frondozo,  no case for violation of Manila’s curfew ordinance has been filed in court to date.

“So far, wala pang fi-nafile sa amin na kahit anong violation ng curfew ordinance. I’ve informed the city administrator na mali ang sinabi ni Yorme (Mayor Isko Moreno). He [City Administrator] will relay the message daw,” Frondozo said in her message to Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez.

Supreme Court’s Public Information Chief and Spokesperson Atty. Brian Keith Hosaka reiterated that “except for night courts which have been suspended, the RTCs (Regional Trial Courts) and MeTC maintain skeleton staff precisely to address urgent matters such as bail.”

“We have ensured the public that our courts, despite drastically reducing its operations, will continue to function to attend to important and urgent matters,” he added.

During last Friday’s meeting, the High Court decided to adopt drastic measures to ensure the safety of its employees and officials amid the coronavirus pandemic without abandoning its constitutional mandate.

Part of the measure is to maintain a skeleton staff from March 16 to April 15 to ensure the unimpeded service to the public.

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/MUF