CHAPTER 3: OVERVIEW OF THE PHILIPPINE
JUDICIAL SYSTEM
1. Brief History of the Philippine Legislative
System
 Preceded by a collegial body (Royal Audencia)
Royal Audencia: highest tribunal est on May
5,1583
-Audencia Territorial de Manila (2 branches:
civil and criminal)
-converted to a purely judicial body by a
Royal Decree
-decisions can be appelaed to the SC of
Spain
 American occupation
-Gen. Wesley Meritt established a military gov’t,
suspended the criminal jurisdiction of the
Audencias and organizes military commissions
or court-martial and provost courts.
 Judiciary Law: Act 136 of the Second Philippine
Commission
Judicial power in the Philippine Islands was
vested in the SC, Courts First Instance and
Justice of the Peace Courts
 Majority of the members were Americans
 Commonwealth in 1935: complete Filipinization
 1973: 15 members (en banc/3 divisions)
1 CJ, 14 Assoc Justice
 Court may sit en banc or in 3 branches of 5
members each.
2. Overview of the Philippine Judicial System
 Philippine Judiciary- 3 branches of the
government; following the Doctrine of
Separation of Powers
 4 levels
Local and regional trial courts
Court of Appeals
Supreme Court
 Sandiganbayan- Government’s
anticorruption court, hears criminal cases
brought against senior offcials.
 Sari’a court system (Islamic Law)-
jurisdiction over domestic and contractual
relations among Muslim citizens.
 Courts may sit en banc (3. 5 or 7 panels)
 Members of the Supreme Court and the
lower courts are selected by the President
from a list of nominees submitted by
Philippine Judicial and Bar Council (until the
age of 70)
 Separation of Powers under the 1987
Constitution
-PH follows the republican and democratic
system of the US
-prevent the centralization too much.
Court
- organ of the government, belonging to the judicial
department.
- function: application of laws to controversies brought
before it and the public administration of justice.
Judiciary-has four levels
1. Metropolitan Trial Courts (436)
-Metro Manila
Municipal Trial Courts (482)
-the court covers 1 municipality
Municipal Trial Courts in Cities
- outside Metro Manila
Municipal Circuit Trial Courts
-covers 2 or more municipalities
2. Regional Trial Court (720)
-formerly ‘Court of First Instance’
-exercise exclusive and original jurisdiction of
any court, tribunal, or body. (except those now
falling under the exclusive and concurrent
jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan which are
taken cognizance of by the Sandiganbayan)
3. Court of Appeals
-appeals on the decsions of the RTC, quasi-
judicial agencies, board or commission.
-1 presiding judge, 50 assoc judges, 17 division
with 3 justices each
-reviews not only the decsions and orders of the
RTC nationwide, as well as the awards,
judgments, final orders or resolutions of, or
authorized by 21 Quasi-Judicial Agencies.
*The only remaining govt agencies exercising
quasi-judicial functions, whose decisions and
final resolutions are directly appealable to the
SC are the COMELEC and COA.
4. Supreme Court
- “Court of Last Resort”: last decisions and
resolutions.
- highest court if th eland
-composed of Chief Justice and 12 Assoc Justices
-may sit en banc/ at its discretion.
SUPREME COURT DEPT OF JUSTICE
Heads the judicial Dept under the
branch executive branch
Supervisory power over Supervisory power over
all trial courts, CA, all prosecutors & public
Sandiganbayan and defenders, the NBI,
Court of Tax Appeals Bureau of Immigration,
Board of Pardons and
Parole, & Bureau of
Corrections
Shares supervisory
power with the DILG
over the Bureau of Jail
Management and
Penology.
 Sandiganbayan
-“graft court”
Bar vs Bench -jurisdictions over violations of the Anti-Graft and
Bar: the aggregate of lawyers whose names are in Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019)
the Roll of Attorneys of the SC. -exclusive jurisdiction in all caes where the penalty is
Bench: indicates the seat of judges, came to denote more tha 6 years imprisonment for a fine of 6,00
the body of judges taken collectively. pesos.
Supreme Court: administers the Bar examinations
and likewise monitors the state of the Bar. Jurisdiction
-power and authority of a court to hear, try and decide
Jurisprudence a case.
-aggregate of decisions issued by the SC; part of the -hear and determine a cause or the right to act in a
legal doctrines of the land. case.
-the philosophy of law/the science which treats of the -power constitutionally conferred upon a judge to take
principles of positive law and legal relations. cognizance of and decide causes accdg to law and to
carry sentence into execution.
Judges vs Justices
Judges
-presiding officers of the lower courts (+Municipal &
City Courts, the RTC, & the Shari’a Courts)
Justices
-it is what the judicial officers in the appellate court
was called.
-judicial officers of CA, Sandiganbayan, the Court of
Tax Appeals and the SC.
 The PH follows the civil system
-no jury trial unlike in the common law
countries like US
 The Doctrine of Stare Decisis is linked to the
Hierarchy of Courts.
 BP 129: Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980
 Kjvc

Shari’a Courts (51)

-where the Muslim Code on Personal Laws is
enforced
-5 to RTC and 51 to MCTC

CTA: Court of Tax Appeals

-the court of specialized appellate jurisdiction which
had the exclusive appellate jurisdiction to review by
appeal the decisions of the CIR (Commissioner
Internal Revenue) and the Commissioner of Customs.
-RA 1125: expands the jurisdiction of the Court of Tax
Appeals, elevating its rank to the level of a collegiate
court with special jurisdiction and enlarging its
membership.
-composed of Presiding Justice and 5 Associate
Judges.
-same level w CA
-2 divisions of three Justices each, both the original
and appellate jurisdictions over civil & criminal tax
cases involving the NIRC, Tariff and Customs Code
and the Local Government Assessment Code.
-acquired jurisdiction over local and real property
taxes.