Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo has ordered the suspension of work in all courts nationwide starting at 3 p.m. on Monday in observance of the “Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga Day” which is held every fourth Monday of September.
The “Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga Day” is part of the week-long celebration of the National Family Week every last week of September under Proclamation No. 60 issued in 1992.
The suspension of work in the judiciary covers the Supreme Court (SC), Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals, and all second and first-level courts in the country.
Earlier, the Office of the President (OP) – through Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin – issued Memorandum Circular No. 32 on the suspension of work in all government offices in the Executive Branch.
The OP encouraged all government workers to fully support the Family Week celebration programs prepared by the National Committee on the Filipino Family.
In the judiciary, Chief Justice Gesmundo said the suspension of work was recommended by Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, chairperson of the Committee on Family Courts and Juvenile Concerns.
Gesmundo, in Memorandum Order No. 112-2023, said the suspension of work was issued “to encourage officers and employees of the Judiciary to have a common family meal in their respective homes and spend more time with their families.”
Based on Gesmundo’s circular, Court Administrator Raul B. Villanueva whose office – the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) supervises all lower courts for the SC — issued OCA Circular No. 332-2023 on the suspension of work in all trial courts.