SC creates special courts for 2016 polls

IN preparation for next year’s national election, the Supreme Court has created special courts to handle cases involving local elective posts for 2016 polls.

In a 10-page administrative order dated Sept. 24, the high court designated 112 regional trial courts in 12 judicial regions nationwide “exclusively and speedily hear, try and decide election protests and petitions for quo warranto (for disqualification) involving elective municipal officials within their respective territorial jurisdictions during local and national elections.”

The order clarified that the cases to be handled by the special courts “shall be limited to election protests and petitions for quo warranto involving elective municipal officials.”

The order stated that all other election-related cases shall be raffled off to regular courts.

The high court added that the special courts shall be excluded from the raffle of new cases  if its caseloads shall prevent them from conducting continuous trial of the election contests.

In the National Capital Judicial Region, the high court designated Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 262 as a lone special election court.

The order was signed by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr.,  the chairpersons of the three divisions of the high tribunal.

The order is part of the Supreme Court’s preparation for  the expected surge of election related complaints next year.

Aside from that, Sereno earlier said the high court is setting up training programs for judges that will man election courts.