THE MONTH OF October has been declared Settlement Period for all first and second level courts in areas where there are Philippine Mediation Center Units.
Trial court judges in Metro Manila, Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, Davao City, Digos City, Tagum and Panabo of Davao del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Pampanga, Negros Occidental, Tacloban City, General Santos City, and La Union are to participate in the activity.
     The courts are ordered to audit and inventory cases in their dockets and select at least 10 mediatable cases which have not undergone mediation in the pre-trial or trial stages because Court-Annexed Mediation was not yet in place at that time or cases now in the trial stage that have undergone mediation but were not settled then.
     Within 30 days after the Settlement Period, the branch clerks of court are directed to submit to the Philippine Judicial Academy a list of the cases that were referred for mediation and those where mediation was refused, as well as settled and unsettled cases.