ADMINISTRATIVE CIRCULAR NO. 59-2003, November 05, 2003

In connection with the ongoing Voter’s Validation
Program and in anticipation of numerous petitions for inclusion or
exclusion of voters that may be filed, the salas of Executive Judges of
Metropolitan Trial Courts and Municipal Trial Courts in Cities, and the
Municipal Trial Courts and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts are hereby
designated as special courts to exclusively hear and decide such
petitions. The salas of Executive Judges of Regional Trial Courts are
likewise designated as special courts in multiple-sala stations to take
cognizance of appeals from said cases.

In case there is a need for an additional branch in
multiple-sala stations to be designated as such special court because of
the large number of petitions being filed, the Executive Judges
concerned can designate the presiding judges of their respective paired
courts to help in the disposition of said cases by dividing the number
of inclusion and exclusion cases equally between them.

The Executive Judges concerned shall immediately
notify this Court, through the Office of the Court Administrator, of
their decision to designate another special court and their
justifications therefor. The Office of the Court Administrator shall
revoke the additional designation if it finds the same unwarranted.

The inclusion and exclusion cases assigned to the
special courts shall be credited to them in the counting of other cases
that should be raffled to them. The Executive Judges may, however,
exempt their salas and the other designated special courts from the
raffle, or limit the number of other cases that could be raffled to
their salas and to the other special courts if in their judgment these
measures are necessary for the expeditious disposition of inclusion and
exclusion cases.

The concerned judges are reminded of the provisions
of Section I43(g) of Batas Pambansa Big. 881 (Omnibus Election Code of
the Philippines), which
states:

(g) These applications shall be heard and decided
without delay. The decision shall be rendered within six hours after the
hearing and within ten days from the date of its filing in court. Cases
appealed to the regional trial court shall be decided within ten days
from receipt of the appeal in the office of the clerk of court. In any
case, the court shall decide these petitions not later than the day
before the election, and the decision rendered thereon shall be
immediately final and executory, notwithstanding the provisions of
Section 138 on the finality of decisions.’

Considering that the time limit to decide appealed
cases in the Regional Trial Courts is counted from the time the appeal
is received in the Office of the Cleric of Court, raffle regarding these
appealed cases is dispensed with. Such appealed cases shall be
immediately forwarded to the salas of the Executive Judges of second
level courts which are designated as special courts to exclusively
decide them.

This Administrative Circular shall apply only to cases filed after its effectivity.

5 November 2003.