The Supreme Court (SC) has approved uniform guidelines on the assignment of judges and court branches for night court duty across all judicial regions outside the National Capital Region, aiming to ensure faster handling of urgent cases, including bail petitions from nighttime arrests.
In a resolution dated Jan. 14, 2026 (A.M. No. 25-10-18-SC), the Court En Banc adopted the guidelines and authorized the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) to implement them, standardizing duty schedules, substitution protocols, and incentives for judges assigned to night courts.
Night courts handle urgent judicial matters outside regular hours, particularly bail applications from nighttime arrests, and are intended to help speed up criminal case processing.
Under the guidelines, branches of multi-sala courts designated as night courts will serve on a weekly rotation and operate on an on-call basis, with one night of actual duty per week, preferably on a Friday, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Each branch must also maintain a hotline for immediate contact.
If the assigned presiding judge is unavailable, the paired court will take over. If both are unavailable, the executive judge will designate another branch and ensure the “proper and equitable implementation” of the rotation system.
Single-sala courts follow a similar setup, with the executive judge authorized to designate another first-level judge, taking into account “geographical and logistical proximity,” if both the presiding and paired judges are unavailable.
Judges assigned to night court duty will receive PHP 1,000 per night, while court personnel are entitled to overtime pay under existing rules.
In performing their functions, all night courts must comply with existing issuances, including OCA Circular No. 252-2024 and OCA Circular No. 74-2025, such as handling payments for bail and court fees and coordinating with law enforcement for security.
The Court also reorganized night court assignments nationwide by designating new courts, retaining some existing ones, and revoking others.
Read the full text of the resolution here: https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/25-10-18-sc-re-proposed-designation-of-several-multi-sala-courts-and-single-sala-courts-as-nights-courts-in-all-judicial-regions-in-the-country-and-guidelines-on-the-assignment-of-branches-and-presid/
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