Work at DOJ main office, prosecution offices in Metro Manila suspended

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Justice (DOJ) has suspended work in its main office in Padre Faura in the city of Manila and all city prosecutor offices at the National Capital Region (NCR).

Under Department Circular 008, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the skeletal workforce on rotation basis shall be in place during work suspension until April 12, 2020.

Offices with rotation skeletal workforce are the Office of the Secretary, Frontline Services, Technical Service, DOJ Action Center, Legal Staff, National Prosecution Service (NPS) and NPS Docket, Administrative Service, Records Management Section, Cashier, Financial Service, Office of the Secretary Appeals Management Office (SAMO) and the Board of Claims.

Other offices shall have one personnel that will be responsible for receiving papers and will also be responsible for receiving their respective heads of offices.

The skeletal workforce shall have a four-day workweek from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For the NPS, Guevarra said inquests and preliminary investigations shall continue in accordance with the Rules but filing of papers and issuing resolutions shall be suspended.

Other prosecution offices outside NCR shall continue their normal operations, Guevarra said.

The DOJ issued the guidelines following President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration upgrading the Code Red Sublevel 1 to 2 due to the spike of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country.

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