Concorde Condominium vs Baculio

Case Digest: GR 203678 Feb 17, 2016

Facts:
Petitioners filed with the RTC Makati a petition for injunction (with damages with prayer for issuance
of a TRO, writ of preliminary injunction, and writ of mandatory preliminary injunction) against the
respondents seeking to enjoin them from misrepresenting to the public that they are the owners of
the Concorde condominium building, and to prevent other certain individuals and government
officials from doing particular acts. The case was docketed as a civil case and raffled to a Makati RTC
branch which was designated as a special commercial court. The respondents moved to dismiss
claiming that the said RTC branch, as a special commercial court, has no jurisdiction over the case
because it is merely an ordinary civil action and not those cases such as intracorporate disputes over
which special commercial courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Accordingly, the RTC dismissed the
case.
Issue: W/N the RTC branch erred in dismissing the case
Held:
Yes. The designation of the said branch as a Special Commercial Court by no means diminished its
power as a court of general jurisdiction to hear and decide cases of all nature, whether civil, criminal
or special proceedings. The matter of whether the RTC resolves an issue in the exercise of its general
jurisdiction or of its limited jurisdiction as a special court is only a matter of procedure and has
nothing to do with the question of jurisdiction.
The petition for injunction with damages is clearly an ordinary civil case. As a court of general
jurisdiction, the RTC branch still has jurisdiction over the subject matter thereof. ##