SUPREME COURT

Original Exclusive Jurisdiction Appellate Jurisdiction

Petitions for issuance of writs of certiorari, prohibition and mandamus against the By way of petition for review on certiorari (appeal by certiorari under Rule 45)
following: against:
1) Court of Appeals a) CA
2) Commission on Elections En Banc b) Sandiganbayan on pure questions of law, except where the penalty imposed is
3) Commission on Audit reclusion perpetua, life imprisonment or death
4) Court of Tax Appeals En Banc c) RTC on pure questions of law
5) Sandiganbayan i. If no question of fact is involved and the case involves:
6) Ombudsman in criminal and non-administrative disciplinary cases  Constitutionality or validity of treaty, international or executive
agreement, law, presidential decree, proclamation, order, instruction,
ordinance or regulation;
 Legality of tax, impost, assessments, or toll, or penalty in relation thereto;
Original Concurrent Jurisdiction
and
Note: All subject to the doctrine of hierarchy of courts.
 Cases in which jurisdiction of lower court is in issue
CA, ii. All cases in which only errors or questions of law are involved.
CA CA and RTC RTC Sandiganbayan, d) CTA in its decisions rendered en banc.
RTC
Special civil action of certiorari – filed within 30 days against the COMELEC / COA
Petitions for Petitions for Actions Petitions for the
issuance of writs certiorari, affecting issuance of writ of
of certiorari, prohibition ambassadors amparo EN BANC DECISON
prohibition and and and other
mandamus against mandamus public ministers Petition for writ of
Decision by the SC en banc is required by the Constitution for the following:
the following: against lower and consuls habeas data, where the
(1) All cases involving the constitutionality of a treaty, international or executive agreement, or
a) RTC; courts and where the action law;
b) CSC; bodies; involves public data or (2) Cases involving the constitutionality, application or operation of presidential decrees,
c) CBAA; and government office proclamations, orders, instructions, ordinances and other regulations;
Petitions for (3) A case where the required number of votes in a division is not obtained;
d) NLRC and other (4) A doctrine or principle laid down in a decision rendered en banc or by division is modified, or
Quasi-Judicial quo warranto;
reversed;
Agencies and  Doctrine of precedence sought to be reversed/modified
 A division case cannot reverse an En Banc case. If so, it is not a good part of the legal
Petitions for Petitions for system of the country.
writ of habeas  E.g. the doctrine of condonation was reversed by an En Banc case.
issuance of Writ of (5) Cases where the court exercises its power to discipline judges of the lower courts or order
Kalikasan corpus
their dismissal;
 This does not include justices of the Supreme Court who can only be removed through
impeachment
(6) Contests relating to the election, returns, and qualifications of the President or Vice
President.
(7) Other cases through the mandate of internal rules (e.g. criminal cases where the imposable
penalty is death)
(8) If the issue is a noble one
(9) If issue concerns discipline of lower court employees, where imposable penalty is a fine more
than 10k, suspension or dismissal
(10) If the case is a division case, but the opinion of majority of the division is that en banc must
decide it, and en banc accepts.
 COURT OF APPEALS

Original Exclusive Jurisdiction Appellate Jurisdiction

Annulment of judgment of RTC in the exercise of the latter’s original jurisdiction
 If through the exercise of RTC’s appellate jurisdiction, the remedy is a
Writ of Error (Rule 42)
 2 grounds of annulment of judgment:
1) Extrinsic fraud;
 Where party was deprived of his procedural due process
 If the party committed fraud while proceedings are
undertaken, this is an intrinsic fraud
 Example of extrinsic fraud: service of pleadings to a dead
lawyer so that the party who does not know the death of the
lawyer will not be able to present his case.
2) Lack of jurisdiction
By way of ordinary appeal from the RTC and the Family Courts;
By way of petition for review from the RTC rendered by the RTC in the exercise of
its appellate jurisdiction;
By way of petition for review from the decisions, resolutions, orders or awards of
the CSC, CBAA and other bodies mentioned in Rule 43 and of the Office of the
Ombudsman in administrative disciplinary cases; and
Over decisions of MTCs in cadastral or land registration cases pursuant to its
delegated jurisdiction; this is because decisions of MTCs in these cases are
appealable in the same manner as decisions of RTCs.

Original Concurrent Jurisdiction

Note: All subject to the doctrine of hierarchy of courts.

SC, Sandiganbayan,
SC SC and RTC
RTC

Petitions for Petitions for Petitions for the

issuance of writs certiorari, issuance of writ of
of certiorari, prohibition amparo
prohibition and and
mandamus against mandamus Petition for writ of
the following: against lower habeas data, where the
a) RTC; courts and where the action
b) CSC; bodies; involves public data or
c) CBAA; and government office
d) NLRC and other Petitions for
Quasi-Judicial quo warranto;
Agencies and

Petitions for Petitions for

issuance of Writ of writ of habeas
Kalikasan corpus
 REGIONAL TRIAL COURTS

Original Exclusive Jurisdiction Original Concurrent Jurisdiction

Note: All subject to the doctrine of hierarchy of courts.
Actions in which the subject of litigation is incapable of pecuniary estimation; SC,
 specific performance, resolution/rescission of contracts SC and CA SC Sandiganbayan,
CA
Actions involving title to or possession of real property or any interest therein
where the assessed value exceeds P20,000 or P50,000 in Metro Manila, except Petitions for Actions Petitions for the
forcible entry and unlawful detainer; certiorari, affecting issuance of writ of
 If the case is an ejectment case, do not look into the assessed value. prohibition ambassadors amparo
Jurisdiction lies with the first level courts. and and other
 “Assessed Value” is used by the law because of its steadiness. If the law mandamus public ministers Petition for writ of
uses Market Value, it will be a circumvention of the law that the parties against lower and consuls habeas data, where the
cannot stipulate on jurisdiction courts and where the action
bodies; involves public data or
Actions in admiralty and maritime jurisdiction where demand or claim exceeds government office
P300,000 or P400,000 in Metro Manila; Petitions for
 Contract of bottomry, respondentia, salvage of ship and provisions quo warranto;
and
Matters of probate, testate or intestate, where gross value of estate exceeds
P300,000 or P400,000 in Metro Manila; Petitions for
 Disposition, distribution of estate writ of habeas
 The law confers jurisdiction and not the rules corpus
 Under the Rules of Court, jurisdiction on the settlement of estate lies
with the ‘Courts of First Instance‛. The law (RA 7691) on the other hand
specifies jurisdiction based on the gross value of the estate. SO THE LAW
PREVAILS. The power to define, prescribe and apportion jurisdiction is
vested with the Congress. Appellate Jurisdiction

Collection suits where the demand, exclusive of (DILAC) damages, interest,

General Rule: All cases decided by lower courts (MTC etc.) in their
litigation expenses, attorney’s fees, and costs, or value of property in controversy
respective territorial jurisdictions.
exceeds P300,000 or P400,000 in Metro Manila
 The principal amount is the basis
Exception: Decisions of lower courts in the exercise of delegated jurisdiction.
(Appealable in same manner as decisions of the RTC)
Cases not within the exclusive jurisdiction of any court, tribunal, person or body
exercising judicial or quasi-judicial functions

Civil actions and special proceedings falling within exclusive original jurisdiction
of Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and Court of Agrarian Reforms;
Special Jurisdiction
Intra-corporate controversies under Sec. 5.2 of the Securities and Regulation Code
SC may designate certain branches of RTC to try exclusively criminal cases,
juvenile and domestic relations cases, agrarian cases, urban land reform
cases not falling within the jurisdiction of any quasi-judicial body and other
special cases in the interest of justice.
 MUNICIPAL TRIAL COURTS

Original Exclusive Jurisdiction Special Jurisdiction

Actions involving personal property where the value of the property does not Petition for writ of habeas corpus OR application for bail in criminal cases in
exceed P300,000 or, in Metro Manila P400,000 the absence of all RTC judges in the province or city

Actions for claim of money where the demand does not exceed P300,000 or, in
Metro Manila P400,000
 Amount of sums of money demanded is exclusive of interest, damages of
whatever kind, attorney’s fees, litigation expenses and costs (DILAC)
 Damages will only be excluded if it is merely incidental to a principal
loan. If the amount of damages is the principal action then the amount of
damages claimed shall be determinative of jurisdiction.
Probate proceedings, testate or intestate, where the value of the estate does not
exceed P300,000 or, in Metro Manila P400,000
 Note: In the foregoing, claim must be exclusive of interest, damages,
attorney’s fees, litigation expense, and costs.
 If the claim for damages is the principal action then the amount of
damages claimed shall be determinative of jurisdiction
Delegated Jurisdiction
To hear and decide cadastral and land registration cases where:
1) There is no controversy over the land; and
2) In case of contested lands, the value does not exceed P100, 000
 The value is to be ascertained:
 By the claimant’s affidavit;
 By agreement of the respective claimants, if there are more
than one; and
 From the corresponding tax declaration of the real property.

Actions involving title to or possession of real property or any interest therein

where the value or amount does not exceed P20,000 or, in Metro Manila P50,000
exclusive of interest damages, attorney’s fees, litigation expense, and costs

Maritime claims where the demand or claim does not exceed P300,000 or, in
Metro Manila P400,000

Inclusion or exclusion of voters

Those covered by the Rules on Summary Procedure

(a) Forcible entry and unlawful detainer, irrespective of the amount of
damages in the form of rentals/attorney’s fees sought to be recovered;
attorney’s fees must not exceed 20k
(b) Other civil cases except probate where the total amount of the plaintiff’s
claims does not exceed P100,000 or, in Metro Manila P200,000 exclusive
interest and costs (as amended by A.M. No. 02-11-09-SC).

Those covered by the Rules on Small Claims, i.e. actions for payment