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The Supreme Court has extended until December 31, 2022 the validity of notarial commissions issued to lawyers who act as notary public and whose job, among other legal acts, is to witness the signing of documents and verify their authenticity.
In a resolution, the SC extended the validity of the notarial commissions on requests by lawyers Burt Estrada, president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), and Michelle Mendez Palmares, president of the IBP Cebu City chapter.
This was the fourth time that the SC has extended notarial commission during the current Covid-19 pandemic.
The December 31, 2022 extension and the three previous extensions were granted after the SC considered the “continuing difficulties imposed by the ongoing health crisis” in the extension of the notarial commissions.
“Accordingly, all notarial commissions granted in 2019 and whose validity had been previously extended until June 30, 2022… are deemed further extended. These commissions shall thus remain valid for an additional period of six (6) months beginning July 1, 2022 until Dec. 31, 2022. The notaries public whose terms are deemed extended… shall continue performing notarial acts using their existing seals,” the SC said through En Banc Clerk of Court Marife M. Lomibao-Cuevas.
The resolution also stated that during the said six-month period, “the notaries public whose terms are deemed extended pursuant to the latest Resolution shall continue performing notarial acts using their existing seals.”