September 1, 2020

SUPREME COURT ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 242-A-2020

GUIDELINES ON THE ACCREDITATION OF COURIER SERVICE PROVIDERS

WHEREAS, Rule 13, Section 3 (c), as amended by A.M. No. 19-10-20-SC ( Re:
Proposed Amendments to the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure, dated 15 October 2019),
states that the filing of pleadings and other court submissions may be made by
accredited courier;
WHEREAS, Rule 13, Section 5, as amended by A.M. No. 19-10-20-SC, states
that pleadings, motions, notices, orders, judgments and other court submissions shall
be served personally or by registered mail, accredited courier, electronic mail, facsimile
transmission, and other electronic means as may be authorized by the Court;
WHEREAS, Rule 13, Section 13, as amended by A.M. No. 19-10-20-SC, states
that judgments, final orders, or resolutions shall be served either personally or by
registered mail. Upon ex parte motion of any party in the case, a copy of the judgment,
final order, or resolution may be delivered by accredited courier at the expense of the
party;
WHEREAS, Rule 13, Section 16 (c), as amended by A.M. No. 19-10-20-SC,
states that if the pleading or any other court submission was filed through an accredited
courier service, the filing shall be proven by an affidavit of service of the person who
brought the pleading or other document to the service provider, together with the
courier's official receipt and document tracking number;
WHEREAS, Rule 13, Section 17 (c), as amended by A.M. No. 19-10-20-SC,
states that if the service is made by accredited courier service, proof of service shall be
made by an affidavit of service executed by the person who brought the pleading or
paper to the service provider, together with the courier's official receipt or document
tracking number.
NOW, THEREFORE, with the Court permitting the service of pleadings, motions,
notices, orders, judgments and other court submissions through an accredited courier
service, the following guidelines on the accreditation of courier service providers are
hereby APPROVED:
I.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
1. Title. — These guidelines shall be known as the Guidelines on the
Accreditation of Courier Service Providers.
2. Purposes. — These guidelines shall be applied and construed to advance
the following purposes:
(a) to implement the amendments approved by the Court to the 1997 Rules of
Civil Procedure, as embodied in A.M. No. 19-10-20-SC (Re: Proposed
Amendments to the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure, dated October 15,
2019), particularly Rule 13, Sections 3 (c), 5, 13, 16 (c), and 17 (c)
regarding the filing of pleadings, motions, notices, orders, Judgments and
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 other court submissions through an accredited courier;
(b) to provide for an efficient system in the accreditation of courier service
providers; and
(c) to promote, serve and protect the public interest.
II.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
1. Definitions. — For purposes of these guidelines, the following terms are
defined as follows:
(a) OFFICE OF THE COURT ADMINISTRATOR (OCA) — is the office
established, through Presidential Decree No. 828, to assist the Supreme
Court in its administrative supervision over all courts in the country. All
applications/renewal of accreditation shall be filed and subject to the
approval of the OCA.
(b) DOCKET AND CLEARANCE DIVISION (DCD) — is the office/division in
the OCA tasked to accept and process all applications (new/renewal) for
accreditation of courier service providers.
(c) FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OFFICE (FMO) — is the office in the OCA
where all fees concerning applications for accreditation or renewal of
accreditation shall be paid.
(d) COURIER SERVICE — officially known as Private Express and/or
Messenger Delivery Service (PEMEDES). Courier Service refers to the
service provided by any natural or juridical persons, for hire or
compensation, with general or limited clientele, whether permanent,
occasional or accidental, and done for general business purposes, for the
express delivery and/or messengerial delivery of letters or written
messages, and other mailable matters.
(e) DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
TECHNOLOGY (DICT) — is the administrative body charged with the
supervision and regulation of courier service providers.
(f) CERTIFICATE — refers to the Certificate of Accreditation that is issued by
the Court Administrator upon the fulfillment of all the requirements for
accreditation by the concerned courier service provider.
(g) HEAD OFFICE — refers to the principal office of the operator of the
courier service registered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),
Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) or Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), as applicable, where it may be served notices and
processes.
III.
ACCREDITATION OF COURIER SERVICE PROVIDER
1. Qualifications. — A Certificate of Accreditation may be issued by the
Court Administrator to any courier service provider that shall submit a verified petition in
accordance with these guidelines.
To be eligible for accreditation, the courier service provider must be:

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 (a) Duly registered with the DTI for sole proprietorship owned by Filipino
citizens; CDA for cooperatives; or SEC for corporation and partnership,
with at least sixty percent (60%) capital stock/shares of contributions
owned by Filipino citizens.
(b) Equipped with the required Authority to Operate from the DICT, pursuant
to Section 1 of Presidential Decree No. 240, dated July 9, 1973.
2. Contents of the Petition. — All verified petitions for accreditation as
courier service provider shall be verified and shall state, among others, the following:
(a) The petitioner intends to be accredited by the Supreme Court as a courier
service provider in one or more administrative regions. The petition shall
clearly state the regions where it intends to operate.
(b) The petition shall include a certified true copy of the Authority to Operate
issued by the DICT. The provisional authority from the DICT shall not be
recognized.
(c) The petitioner shall indicate that it is in the "List of Authorized Private
Express and/or Messengerial Delivery Service or Courier Service
Providers" of the DICT.
(d) The petition shall contain the complete address of the Head Office of the
courier service provider, including those of its branches and extension
offices.
(e) The petition shall include a statement that, in the event that the petition is
granted, the petitioner is willing to post a performance bond as required by
these guidelines.
(f) The petitioner must execute an undertaking that, in cases where
pleadings, motions, notices, orders, judgments and other court
submissions must be served in an area/region where the petitioner is not
accredited by the Court Administrator, said petitioner has the capacity to
serve it in that area/region.
The petition for accreditation shall be filed before the DCD-OCA, in two (2)
copies, together with a soft copy version.
3. Application Fee. — The petitioner shall pay the amount of Five Thousand
Pesos (P5,000.00) before the FMO-OCA. No application/renewal shall be processed
without the payment of the required fee. Should the petitioner subsequently withdraw
the application before the same is approved/renewed, the fee shall be deemed
forfeited.
4. Period of the Validity of the Accreditation . — The Certificate of
Accreditation issued by the Court Administrator shall be valid for one (1) year from the
date of approval of the application.
5. Renewal of the Accreditation. — The courier service provider may file a
verified petition with the Court Administrator for the renewal of its accreditation within
thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of its existing accreditation.
The petition for renewal shall follow the same procedure as provided in Item No.
2 of these guidelines. If the petitioner has additional areas/administrative regions where
it intends to operate, said information shall also be reflected in the petition for renewal.

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 The petitioner shall also pay the required renewal fee of Five Thousand Pesos
(P5,000.00).
IV.
PERFORMANCE BOND
If the Court Administrator approves the application of the petitioner, the Certificate
of Accreditation shall not be released until the petitioner posts, within five (5) days from
notice, a cash bond of One Hundred Thousand Pesos (P100,000.00) to be deposited
with the Financial Management Office (FMO)-OCA, under the fiduciary account with the
Land Bank of the Philippines in the name of the OCA-Supreme Court.
The cash bond shall answer for any monetary penalty that may be imposed by
the Court Administrator on the accredited courier upon due investigation.
Should the cash bond be reduced due to the imposition of any penalty by the
Court Administrator, the accredited courier shall replenish the same within fifteen (15)
days from notice.
V.
REVOCATION OF ACCREDITATION AND OTHER SANCTIONS
1. Revocation of the Accreditation and other Sanctions. — The Court
Administrator may revoke the accreditation if the courier service provider ceases to
possess any of the requirements for accreditation.
In addition, the Court Administrator may revoke the accreditation if the courier
service provider:
(a) continues to render services despite the expiration of its Certificate of
Accreditation;
(b) participates in fraudulent acts relative to the service or delivery of the
pleadings, motions, notices, orders, judgments and other court
submissions, as to be determined by the Court Administrator;
(c) fails to post/replenish the required cash bond within the prescribed period;
and
(d) other analogous circumstances.
The decision of the Court Administrator on the matter shall be deemed final.
VI.
CESSATION OF ACCREDITATION
If the accredited courier desires to cease its transactions with the courts or
chooses not to renew its accreditation, it shall file a letter-request to that effect, with a
request to withdraw the cash bond of P100,000.00.
The letter-request shall be accompanied by clearances from the courts where the
courier was accredited.
Upon submission of the requirements, the Court Administrator shall issue in favor
of the accredited courier an authority to withdraw its outstanding cash bond from the
FMO-OCA which, in turn, shall prepare the necessary voucher for the withdrawal of the
fund from the Land Bank of the Philippines.
VII.
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 EFFECTIVITY
This Administrative Order shall take effect on October 1, 2020, following its
publication in the Official Gazette, or in two (2) newspapers of national circulation.

(SGD.) DIOSDADO M. PERALTA

Chief Justice

(SGD.) ESTELA M. PERLAS-BERNABE

Associate Justice

(SGD.) MARVIC M.V.F. LEONEN

Associate Justice

(SGD.) ALFREDO BENJAMIN S. CAGUIOA

Associate Justice

(SGD.) ALEXANDER G. GESMUNDO

Associate Justice

(SGD.) JOSE C. REYES, JR.

Associate Justice

(SGD.) RAMON PAUL L. HERNANDO

Associate Justice

(SGD.) ROSMARI D. CARANDANG

Associate Justice

(SGD.) AMY C. LAZARO-JAVIER

Associate Justice

(SGD.) HENRI JEAN PAUL B. INTING

Associate Justice

(SGD.) RODIL V. ZALAMEDA

Associate Justice

(SGD.) MARIO V. LOPEZ

Associate Justice

(SGD.) EDGARDO L. DELOS SANTOS

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 Associate Justice

(SGD.) SAMUEL H. GAERLAN

Associate Justice

On leave
PRISCILLA J. BALTAZAR-PADILLA
Associate Justice

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