(Eagle News) — The Supreme Court has suspended the filing of pleadings and other court submissions from December 20, 2021 to January 3, 2022.
The High Court said in Administrative Circular No. 102-2021 that this was in light of Typhoon “Odette” that “adversely affected all of the provinces and cities in Bicol, Palawan, the Visayas, and Mindanao..”
It said this resulted in “extensive damage to government infrastructure including halls of justice and private property, as well as power and communication services..”
According to the SC, the “filing periods of any and all pleadings and other court submissions that fell due or would fall due during the said period are hereby extended for several calendar days counted from January 4, 2022.”
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has said 156 have been reported dead due to the typhoon, which ravaged mostly parts of Visayas and Mindanao over the weekend.
The Philippine National Police earlier reported over 200 deaths.
According to the NDRRMC, 135 cities and municipalities reported communication line problems amid the typhoon’s onslaught, of which 107 have been restored.