OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
The Office of the Secretary provides assistance to the Tribunal in the perfomance of its adjudicatory functions. As provided in Rule 13 of the 2015 Revised Rules of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET), the Secretary of the Tribunal shall have the following duties:
(1) Receive all pleadings and other documents properly presented, indicating on each such document the date and time when it was filed, and furnishing each Member of the Tribunal a copy thereof;
(2) Keep a judicial docket or repository book wherein shall be entered in chronological order the contests and cases brought before the Tribunal, and the proceedings had therein;
(3) Prepare the calendar of contests and cases;
(4) Attend the sessions or meetings of the Tribunal and, whenever necessary, of its divisions, and keep the minutes thereof which shall contain a clear and succinct account of all business transacted;
(5) Certify under his signature and the seal of the Tribunal all notices, orders, resolutions and decisions of the Tribunal;
(6) Implement the orders, resolutions, decisions and processes issued by the Tribunal;
(7) Keep a judgment book containing a copy of each decision and final order or resolution rendered by the Tribunal in the order of its dates, and a Book of Entries of Judgments containing in chronological order entries of the dispositive portions of all decisions and final orders or resolutions of the Tribunal;
(8) Keep an account of the funds received and disbursed relative to the cases;
(9) Subject to the authority of the Tribunal and the Chairperson, oversee the performance of the line and support (adjudicatory and administrative) functions of the various divisions of the administrative staff;
(10) Keep and secure all ballot boxes, election documents, records, papers, files, exhibits, the office seal and other public property belonging to or officially brought to the Tribunal;
(11) Perform such other duties as are prescribed by law for clerks of superior courts; and
(12) Keep such other books and perform such other duties as the Tribunal or the Chairperson may direct.
Atty. Girlie I. Salarda is currently the Secretary of the Tribunal.
