Philippines – Still On Jurisdiction.

16 November 2021

 

Knowing one’s jurisdiction is important for lawyers and litigants alike. A case, albeit tried and decided after several years, may still be invalidated once proven to have been decided for lack of jurisdiction.
 

When we say jurisdiction, it refers to “the power and authority of the court to hear, try, and decide a case.” (Velasquez v Lisondra Land Incorporated, G.R. 231290, 27 August 2020)
 

Stated otherwise, jurisdiction is the extent of a court’s authority over a particular claim. For instance, one’s claim to eject a particular tenant due to his non-payment of rents is particularly under the jurisdiction of the first level courts, or the Metropolitan Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts in Cities and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts.
 

Hence, if a lessor is filing an ejectment complaint against his or her tenant, the lessor should file the complaint with the first level courts. This is precisely because the first level court is the one authorized by law to hear this particular type of claim or case. If this ejectment complaint was not filed before the first level court, the complaint will be dismissed — regardless of whatever the stage of the proceedings. This is the importance of knowing one’s jurisdiction.
 

In our previous column, we referred to the new law expanding the jurisdiction of our first level courts, or Republic Act (RA) 11576, signed into law by the President last 30 July 2021, and which took effect last 31 August 2021.
 

Upon request of some readers and for easier understanding of the significant changes under RA 11576, the following is a quick summary:
 

For civil actions which involve the title to, or possession of, real property, or any interest therein, the jurisdiction of the first level courts was increased from (P20,000 assessed value if outside Metro Manila; or P50,000 assessed value if within Metro Manila) to P400,000 and below, irrespective of whether the property is located inside or outside Metro Manila.

 

Consequently, if the assessed value of the real property exceeds P400,000, then the action shall be initiated before the Regional Trial Courts.
 

For actions in admiralty and maritime jurisdiction, the jurisdiction of the first level courts was increased from a total claim of P300,000 (if outside Metro Manila) and P400,000 (if within Metro Manila) to P2,000,000 and below, irrespective of whether the venue is within or outside Metro Manila.
 

If the total claim exceeds P2,000,000, the jurisdiction lies with the Regional Trial Courts.
 

For all civil actions and probate proceedings, testate and intestate, the jurisdiction of the first level courts was likewise increased from a total claim of P300,000 (if outside Metro Manila) and P400,000 (if within Metro Manila) to P2,000,000 and below, irrespective of whether the venue is within or outside Metro Manila.
 

Needless to state, should the gross value of the estate exceed P2,000,000 or the total demand of the civil action exceeds P2,000,000, exclusive of interest, damages of whatever kind, attorney’s fees, litigation expenses and costs, the jurisdiction lies with the Regional Trial Courts.
 

It is likewise worthwhile to mention that under the new law, the Congress delegated authority to the Supreme Court to adjust the jurisdictional amounts for the first and second level courts so as to (1) reflect the extraordinary supervening inflation and deflation of currency; (2) reflect change in the land valuation; or (3) maintain the proportion of caseload between first- and second-level courts, without prejudice on the part of the Congress to adjust the amounts when the circumstances warrant.
 

The Supreme Court was pleased with these jurisdictional amendments under the new law.
 

In the words of Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, “through this new law, the jurisdictional amounts of our trial courts have now been adjusted to levels which are more suitable to the current economic conditions and property valuation in the country” and consequently, “the law will no doubt help declog the dockets of our second-level courts, which in turn would lead to a faster adjudication of cases and better administration of justice.”