[ OCA CIRCULAR NO. 12-2019, January 29, 2019 ]

[ OCA CIRCULAR NO. 12-2019, January 29, 2019 ]

[ OCA CIRCULAR NO. 12-2019, January 29, 2019 ]

TO : ALL JUDGES, CLERKS OF COURT AND RETIRING COURT STENOGRAPHERS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND LEVEL COURTS

SUBJECT : EXEMPTION OF COURT STENOGRAPHERS FROM ATTENDANCE TO COURT HEARINGS AND DIRECTIVE TO FINISH THE PENDING TRANSCRIPT OF STENOGRAPHIC NOTES WITHIN A MONTH PRIOR TO EFFECTIVITY DATE OF THEIR RETIREMENT

It has been brought to the attention of this Court that every court stenographer who is about to retire from the judiciary finds difficulty in having his/her clearance processed with dispatch due to the pendency of untranscribed stenographic notes. There is a common concern that because of the shortage of court stenographers nationwide, it is impossible that they can immediately finish the transcription of stenographic notes, and at the same time perform their other basic duties as court stenographers up to last day of their service in the judiciary. Thus, the court stenographers have requested that they be exempted from attending any court hearing one (1) month before the closing date of their retirement.

In view thereof, and for humanitarian considerations, all concerned retiring court stenographers are hereby EXEMPTED from attendance to court hearings and are immediately DIRECTED to transcribe their respective pending stenographic notes, subject to the following guidelines, to wit:

1. The abovementioned exemption and directive must be availed of and complied with within the last month prior to the effectivity date of retirement of the court stenographers;

2. The one-month period is strictly non-extendible; and

3. The executive and/or presiding judge through their respective clerks of court and branch clerks of court shall ensure that there must be substitute court stenographers during the exempted one-month period of attendance to court hearings. In an exceptional case wherein there is only one (1) court stenographer and he/she is also retiring, most especially in a single sala station, the executive/presiding judge shall hire a contractual court stenographer preferably within six (6) months before the said one-month period of absence subject to applicable rules and regulations on hiring; otherwise, the only recourse for the executive/presiding judge is to designate a temporary court stenographer by borrowing one from any court station nearest to his/her court sala.

Strict compliance is enjoined.

29 January 2019

(SGD.) JOSE MIDAS P. MARQUEZ Court Administrator