SC adds drugs, family courts in Negros Oriental

The Supreme Court has designated additional drugs and family courts in Negros Oriental province to handle domestic and drug-related cases there. Dumaguete City Regional Trial Court Branch 34 was designated a drugs court while RTC Branch 31 was designated a Family Court, the news site Visayan Daily Star reported on Monday. RTC Branches 30 and 37, the existing drugs and family courts respectively, will continue to try and decide cases pending in their respective salas, where trial has already begun, the report said. Drug cases pending with Branch 30 where the trial has not yet begun will be forwarded to the Office of the Clerk of Court for assignment by the Executive Judge to Branch 34. Family cases pending with Branch 37 where trial has not yet begun will be forwarded to the Office of the Clerk of Court for assignment by the Executive Judge to Branch 31, the resolution said. All newly-filed drug cases will be assigned to RTC Branch 34 in Dumaguete City, until such time that the number of cases assigned to Branch 34 is equal to the cases assigned to Branch 30, the SC Similarly, newly filed family court cases will be assigned to RTC Branch 31 in Dumaguete City, until the cases assigned to Branch 31 is equal to the cases assigned to Branch 37. RTC Branches 34 and 31 in Dumaguete shall likewise continue to try and decide cases pending in their respective salas, where trial has already begun. A trial is deemed to have begun when the accused or any of the accused in a criminal case has been arraigned, or when the pre-trial is terminated in civil cases. The cases pending with Branches 34 and 31 where trial has not begun shall be forwarded to the office of the Clerk of Court, for raffle by the Executive Judge among the regular courts there. – VVP, GMA News