BRIEF
BACKGROUNDThe
Constitution
The
Constitution
of the Philippines ordains that judicial power shall be vested in one
Supreme
Court and such lower courts as may be established by law.
[Section
1, Art. VIII, 1987 Constitution).
The Law
Under
Philippine
laws [Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980 (Batas Pambansa Bilang 129)
which took effect on January 18, 1983 and other laws] the Philippine
judicial
system consists of the following courts:chanroblesvirtuallawlibrary
Lower
Courts
I. Municipal
Trial
Courts and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts
Every municipality
in the Philippines has its own Municipal Trial Court. It is
referred
to as such if it covers only one municipality; otherwise, it is
called
Municipal Circuit Trial Court if it covers two or more municipalities.
II.
Metropolitan
Trial Courts and Municipal Trial Courts in Cities
Municipal
Trial
Courts in the towns and cities in the Metropolitan Manila area, as
distinguished
from the other political subdivisions in the Philippines, are referred
to as Metropolitan Trial Courts.
In cities
outside
Metropolitan Manila, the equivalent of the Municipal Trial Courts are
referred
to as Municipal Trial Courts in Cities.
III. Regional
Trial
Courts
Regional
Trial
Courts were established among the thirteen regions in the Philippines
consisting
of Regions I to XII and the National Capital Region (NCR). There are as
many Regional Trial Courts in each region as the law mandates.
IV. Shari'a
Courts
Equivalent
to
the Regional Trial Courts in rank are the Shari'a District Courts which
were established in certain specified provinces in Mindanao where the
Muslim
Code on Personal Laws is being enforced.
Equivalent
to
the Municipal Circuit Trial Courts are the Shari'a Circuit Courts which
were established in certain municipalities in Mindanao.
There are
five
Shari'a District Courts and fifty one Shari'a Circuit Courts in
existence.
V. Court of
Tax
Appeals
A special
court,
the Court of Tax Appeals, composed of a Presiding Judge and two
Associate
Judges, is vested with the exclusive appellate jurisdiction over
appeals
from the decisions of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and the
Commissioner
of Customs on certain specific issues.
VI.
Sandiganbayan
A special
court,
the Sandiganbayan, composed of a Presiding Justice and eight Associate
Justices, has exclusive jurisdiction over violations of the Anti-Graft
and Corrupt Practices Act [Republic Act No. 3019], the Unexplained
Wealth
Act [Republic Act No. 1379] and other crimes or felonies committed by
public
officials and employees in relation to their office, including those
employees
in government-owned or controlled corporations.
VII. Court of
Appeals
The Court of
Appeals,
composed of one Presiding Justice and sixty eight Associate
Justices
is vested with jurisdiction over appeals from the decisions of the
Regional
Trial Courts and certain quasi-judicial agencies, boards or
commissions.
The
Highest
Court - Supreme Court
The Supreme
Court
is the highest Court in the Philippines. There is only one
Supreme
Court composed of one Chief Justice and fourteen Associate Justices. It
is the final arbiter of any and all judicial issues. When so
deciding,
it may sit en banc or in divisions of three, five or seven
members.
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