epulJlit of tbe ~bilippine.

6upreme ~ourt
etfiu of tbe ~ourt ~ini.Qrator
:fIanila

OCA CIRCULAR NO. 63A-2022

TO ALL CONCERNED JUDGES AND CLERKS OF

COURT OF THE FIRST AND SECOND LEVEL
COURTS

SUBJECT ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES IN THE SERVICE OF

SUMMONS, SUBPOENAS, AND OTHER COURT
PROCESSES

Due to numerous concerns relative to the service of summons,

subpoenas, and other court processes, the following guidelines are hereby
ISSUED for the guidance of those concerned, in addition to those provided
in OCA Circular No. 263-2018 dated 27 December 2018, to wit:

1) A prescribed Uniform Fare Matrix shall be prepared and adopted

by each court of the first and second level courts for common
destinations, which shall be based on the distance between the
concerned court station to the identifiable landmarks of the said
common destinations, using the ordinary public conveyance or
customary modes of transportation;

2) The Uniform Fare Matrix shall be duly approved by the

concerned Executive Judge or Presiding Judge of single-sala
courts, as the case may be;

3) The approved Uniform Fare Matrix of both first and second level
courts, which are stationed in one place, shall be THE SAME;

4) When a private vehicle is used by the concerned sheriff, process

server or other court-authorized person in the service of
summons, subpoena and other court processes, he/she is
entitled only to the equivalent cost of the customary mode of
transportation rather than the cost of the gasoline and oil
consumed;

5) The use of chartered trips, special hires of public utilities, garage

cars, water vessels, and other extraordinary means of
transportation shall not be allowed unless justified by the
prevailing circumstances, such as, but not limited to, carrying
large amounts of cash, bulky equipment and important
documents, inclement weather, or time is of the essence.1 A
justification for availing of the same shall be stated in the
Certificate of Travel Completed, subject for approval of the
concerned judge, in support of the claim for reimbursement.

I E.O. No. 77, as implemented by Administrative Circular No. 143-2019 dated 28 November 2019.
 2

6) The rate of hiring a private vehicle, use of chartered trips, special

hires of public utilities, garage cars, water vessels, and other
extraordinary means of transportation that needs the approval of
the Chief Justice is hereby increased from One Thousand Pesos
(P1 ,000.00) to Two Thousand Two Hundred Pesos (P2,200.00),
pursuant to the Memorandum dated 2 March 20222 approved by
the Honorable Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo;

7) If the service of summons, subpoenas, and other court

processes, will take more than two (2) hours of travel from the
court station going to the place of service, a meal allowance may
be added to the fare matrix of the particular destination, to wit:

(a) for service within the thirty (30)-kilometer radius from the
court station to the place of service, the amount of Eighty
Pesos (P80.00);
(b) for service beyond the thirty (30)-kilometer radius but within
the fifty (50)-kilometer radius from the court station to the
place of service, the amount of One Hundred Fifty Pesos
(P150.00); or
(c) for service beyond the fifty (50)-kilometer radius from the
court station to the place of service, the amount of Three
Hundred Pesos (P300.00) (equivalent to two meal
allowances);

8) If the sheriff, process server or other court-authorized person

serving summons, subpoenas, and other court processes will
travel beyond the fifty (50)-kilometer radius from the court station
to the place of service, he/she may claim for hotel/lodging
accommodation in an amount not exceeding Seven Hundred
Fifty Pesos (P750.00), but shall be substantiated by a hotel
bill/invoice/official receipt under his/her name to prove that
he/she availed of the said accommodation while on official travel,
in addition to three meal allowances, totaling Four Hundred Fifty
Pesos (P450.00).3 The said hotel bill and meal allowance may
be added to the total travel expenses. However, for service
within fifty (50)-kilometer radius from the court station to the place
of service, the sheriff, process server or other court-authorized
person could only avail of the hotel/lodging accommodation for
reason of limited transportation or any justifiable circumstances,
that may warrant his/her stay. An affidavit executed by the
claimant justifying his/her stay in the hotel/lodging shall be
attached in his/her Certificate of Travel Completed. The hotel
bill/invoice/official receipt shall be ATTACHED to the Statement
of Liquidation as supporting document;

9) In case the Sheriff's Trust Fund (STF) collected is not sufficient,

the party requesting for personal service of summons,
subpoenas, and other court processes shall be REQUIRED to
make an additional STF payment;

2 Annex "A", Memorandum dated 2 March 2022.

3 In line with Administrative Circular No. 143-2019 dated 28 November 2019, as amended.
 3

10) If the personal service of summons, subpoenas, and other court

processes will be outside the territorial jurisdiction of the court
concerned, then the service shall be DONE by the sheriff,
process server or other court-authorized person of the court
which has jurisdiction over the residence of the defendant or of
the person subject of the process, following the procedures
provided in OCA Circular No. 149-2021 dated 9 December 2021;

11) The Order to Withdraw from the STF is NOT REQUIRED. The
approval in the Statement of Estimated Travel and
Transportation Expenses (SETTE} by the concerned Executive
Judge or Presiding Judge of the single-sala court, as the case
may be, in lieu of the Order to Withdraw, which shall serve as a
supporting document of the Disbursement Voucher for the
withdrawal from the STF account. subject for approval of the
Executive Judge/Presiding Judge, who is one of the signatories
of the account. However, the refund of any
excess/unspent/remaining amount in the STF account must be
STATED in the Order of Judgment, and the original payor's copy
of the official receipt (OR) shall be SURRENDERED for the
processing of the said refund;

12) The requests for service of subpoenas and other court processes
involving criminal cases without STF deposits shall be
SHOULDERED by the Clerk of Court (COC) of the requested
court, if he/she is receiving a Representation and Travel
Allowance (RATA), or the concerned Presiding Judge of the
requested court, if the COC thereat is not entitled to RATA,
subject to reimbursement pursuant to OCA Circular No. 263-
2018 dated 27 December 2018; and

13) All existing Uniform Fare Matrix not in consonance with the
aforementioned guidelines are hereby revoked. Clerks of
Courts/Officers-in-Charge are hereby required to prepare a new
Uniform Fare Matrix, subject to the approval of the Judge
concerned. The Fiscal Monitoring Division, Court Management
Office, Office of the Court Administrator, shall be copy furnished
with the approved Uniform Fare Matrix as soon as it is available.

This circular amends OCA Circular No. 63-2022.

For strict compliance.

22 April 2022

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