RULE 41

Appeal From The Regional Trial Courts

Section 1. Subject of appeal. — An appeal may be taken from a judgment or final order that
completely disposes of the case, or of a particular matter therein when declared by these Rules to
be appealable.

No appeal may be taken from:

(a) An order denying a motion for new trial or reconsideration;

(b) An order denying a petition for relief or any similar motion seeking relief from judgment;

(c) An interlocutory order;

(d) An order disallowing or dismissing an appeal;

(e) An order denying a motion to set aside a judgment by consent, confession or

compromise on the ground of fraud, mistake or duress, or any other ground vitiating consent;

(f) An order of execution;

(g) A judgment or final order for or against one or more of several parties or in separate
claims, counterclaims, cross-claims and third-party complaints, while the main case is
pending, unless the court allows an appeal therefrom; and

(h) An order dismissing an action without prejudice.

In all the above instances where the judgment or final order is not appealable, the aggrieved party
may file an appropriate special civil action under Rule 65. (n)

Section 2. Modes of appeal. —

(a) Ordinary appeal. — The appeal to the Court of Appeals in cases decided by the Regional
Trial Court in the exercise of its original jurisdiction shall be taken by filing a notice of appeal
with the court which rendered the judgment or final order appealed from and serving a copy
thereof upon the adverse party. No record on appeal shall be required except in special
proceedings and other cases of multiple or separate appeals where law on these Rules so
require. In such cases, the record on appeal shall be filed and served in like manner.

(b) Petition for review. — The appeal to the Court of Appeals in cases decided by the
Regional Trial Court in the exercise of its appellate jurisdiction shall be by petition for review
in accordance with Rule 42.

(c) Appeal by certiorari. — In all cases where only questions of law are raised or involved,
the appeal shall be to the Supreme Court by petition for review on certiorari in accordance
with the Rule 45. (n)
Section 3. Period of ordinary appeal. — The appeal shall be taken within fifteen (15) days from
notice of the judgment or final order appealed from. Where a record on appeal is required, the
appellant shall file a notice of appeal and a record on appeal within thirty (30) days from notice of the
judgment or final order.

The period of appeal shall be interrupted by a timely motion for new trial or reconsideration. No
motion for extension of time to file a motion for new trial or reconsideration shall be allowed. (n)

Section 4. Appellate court docket and other lawful fees. — Within the period for taking an appeal,
the appellant shall pay to the clerk of the court which rendered the judgment or final order appealed
from, the full amount of the appellate court docket and other lawful fees. Proof of payment of said
fees shall be transmitted to the appellate court together with the original record or the record on
appeal. (n)

Section 5. Notice of appeal. — The notice of appeal shall indicate the parties to the appeal, specify
the judgment or final order or part thereof appealed from, specify the court to which the appeal is
being taken, and state the material dates showing the timeliness of the appeal. (4a)

Section 6. Record on appeal; form and contents thereof. — The full names of all the parties to the
proceedings shall be stated in the caption of the record on appeal and it shall include the judgment
or final order from which the appeal is taken and, in chronological order, copies of only such
pleadings, petitions, motions and all interlocutory orders as are related to the appealed judgment or
final order for the proper understanding of the issue involved, together with such data as will show
that the appeal was perfected on time. If an issue of fact is to be raised on appeal, the record on
appeal shall include by reference all the evidence, testimonial and documentary, taken upon the
issue involved. The reference shall specify the documentary evidence by the exhibit numbers or
letters by which it was identified when admitted or offered at the hearing, and the testimonial
evidence by the names of the corresponding witnesses. If the whole testimonial and documentary
evidence in the case is to be included, a statement to that effect will be sufficient without mentioning
the names of the witnesses or the numbers or letters of exhibits. Every record on appeal exceeding
twenty (20) pages must contain a subject index. (6a)

Section 7. Approval of record on appeal. — Upon the filing of the record on appeal for approval and
if no objection is filed by the appellee within five (5) days from receipt of a copy thereof, the trial court
may approve it as presented or upon its own motion or at the instance of the appellee, may direct its
amendment by the inclusion of any omitted matters which are deemed essential to the determination
of the issue of law or fact involved in the appeal. If the trial court orders the amendment of the
record, the appellant, within the time limited in the order, or such extension thereof as may be
granted, or if no time is fixed by the order within ten (10) days from receipt thereof, shall redraft the
record by including therein, in their proper chronological sequence, such additional matters as the
court may have directed him to incorporate, and shall thereupon submit the redrafted record for
approval, upon notice to the appellee, in like manner as the original draft. (7a)

Section 8. Joint record on appeal. — Where both parties are appellants, they may file a joint record
on appeal within the time fixed by section 3 of this Rule, or that fixed by the court. (8a)

Section 9. Perfection of appeal; effect thereof. — A party's appeal by notice of appeal is deemed
perfected as to him upon the filing of the notice of appeal in due time.

A party's appeal by record on appeal is deemed perfected as to him with respect to the subject
matter thereof upon the approval of the record on appeal filed in due time.
In appeals by notice of appeal, the court loses jurisdiction over the case upon the perfection of the
appeals filed in due time and the expiration of the time to appeal of the other parties.

In appeals by record on appeal, the court loses jurisdiction only over the subject matter thereof upon
the approval of the records on appeal filed in due time and the expiration of the appeal of the other
parties.

In either case, prior to the transmittal of the original record or the record on appeal, the court may
issue orders for the protection and preservation of the rights of the parties which do not involve any
matter litigated by the appeal, approve compromises, permit appeals of indigent litigants, order
execution pending appeal in accordance with 2 of Rule 39, and allow withdrawal of the appeal. (9a)

Section 10. Duty of clerk of court of the lower court upon perfection of appeal. — Within thirty (30)
days after perfection of all the appeals in accordance with the preceding section, it shall be the duty
of the clerk of court of the lower court:

(a) To verify the correctness of the original record or the record on appeal, as the case may
be aid to make certification of its correctness;

(b) To verify the completeness of the records that will be, transmitted to the appellate court;

(c) If found to be incomplete, to take such measures as may be required to complete the
records, availing of the authority that he or the court may exercise for this purpose; and

(d) To transmit the records to the appellate court.

If the efforts to complete the records fail, he shall indicate in his letter of transmittal the exhibits or
transcripts not included in the records being transmitted to the appellate court, the reasons for their
non-transmittal, and the steps taken or that could be taken to have them available.

The clerk of court shall furnish the parties with copies of his letter of transmittal of the records to the
appellate court. (10a)

Section 11. Transcript. — Upon the perfection of the appeal, the clerk shall immediately direct the
stenographers concerned to attach to the record of the case five (5) copies of the transcripts of the
testimonial evidence referred to in the record on appeal. The stenographers concerned shall
transcribe such testimonial evidence and shall prepare and affix to their transcripts an index
containing the names of the witnesses and the pages wherein their testimonies are found, and a list
of the exhibits and the pages wherein each of them appears to have been offered and admitted or
rejected by the trial court. The transcripts shall be transmitted to the clerk of the trial court who shall
thereupon arrange the same in the order in which the witnesses testified at the trial, and shall cause
the pages to be numbered consecutively. (12a)

Section 12. Transmittal. — The clerk of the trial court shall transmit to the appellate court the
original record or the approved record on appeal within thirty (30) days from the perfection of the
appeal, together with the proof of payment of the appellate court docket and other lawful fees, a
certified true copy of the minutes of the proceedings, the order of approval, the certificate of
correctness, the original documentary evidence referred to therein, and the original and three (3)
copies of the transcripts. Copies of the transcripts and certified true copies of the documentary
evidence shall remain in the lower court for the examination of the parties. (11a)
Section 13. Dismissal of appeal. — Prior to the transmittal of the original record or the record on
appeal to the appellate court, the trial court may motu propio or on motion dismiss the appeal for
having been taken out of time. (14a)