Philippine Supreme Court Resolutions > Year 2008 > December 2008 Resolutions > [A.M. No. 08-11-667-RTC : December 16, 2008] RE: REQUEST OF JUDGE RAPHAEL B. YRASTORZA, SR., RTC, BRANCH 14, CEBU CITY, FOR RELIEF OF HIS BRANCH AS SPECIAL COURT FOR FAMILY CASES :

Quoted hereunder, for your information,   is a resolution of the  Court En Banc dated December 16, 2008

"A.M. No. 08-11-667-RTC- Re: Request of Judge Raphael B. Yrastorza, Sr., RTC, Branch 14, Cebu City, for Relief of His Branch as Special Court for Family Cases.- The Court Resolved, upon the recommendation of the Office of the Court Administrator, to

(a) NOTE and GRANT the letter-request dated January 24, 2008 of Hon. Raphael B. Yrastorza, Sr., Presiding Judge, RTC, Branch 14, Cebu City, for Branch 14 to be relieved as a Special Court for Family Cases;

(b) REVOKE the designation of RTC, Branch 14, Cebu City, presided over by the Hon. Raphael B. Yrastorza, Sr., as a Special Court for Family Cases; and

(c) DESIGNATE RTC, Branches 6 and 20, Cebu City, presided over by Hon. Ester M. Veloso and Hon. Bienvenido R. Saniel, Jr., as Special Courts for Family Cases. The following guidelines shall be observed in the unloading of cases:

(1) RTC, Branch 14, Cebu City, shall continue trying and deciding cases pending in the said sala wnere trial has already begun.   For this purpose, trial has begun when the accused or any of the accused in a criminal case has been arraigned or when the pre-trial stage is terminated in civil caseb;

(2) All cases pending with RTC, Branch 14, where trial has not yet begun, shall be forwarded to the Office of the Clerk of Court who shall include the same in the list of cases to be raffled among the other designated family courts;

(3) All newly filed family court cases shall be assigned to RTC, Branches 6 and 20 until such time that the family court cases assigned to Branches 6 and 20 are equal to the family court cases assigned to the other designated family courts;

(4) The Executive Judge, in all these instances, shall see to it that equitable distribution of cases is effected; and

(5)  The guidelines set forth  in the Court in A.M.  No. 99-11-07-SC dated  February Designation of Certain Branches of the Re Family Courts)   shall   be   observed   in   so practicable."

Corona, J., on leave.

                                               

	Very truly yours,
	(Sgd.) MA. LUISA D. VILLARAMA
	Clerk of Court