Republic of the Philippines

Congress of the Philippines

Metro Manila
Ninth Congress
Republic Act No. 7691 March 25, 199
AN AC! "#PAN$%N& !'" ()R%*$%C!%+N +, !'"
M"!R+P+-%!AN !R%A- C+)R!*, M)N%C%PA- !R%A- C+)R!*,
AN$ M)N%C%PA- C%RC)%! !R%A- C+)R!*, AM"N$%N& ,+R !'"
P)RP+*" .A!A* PAM.AN*A, .-&. 129, +!'"R/%*" 0N+/N
A* !'" 1()$%C%AR2 R"+R&AN%3A!%+N AC! +, 19451
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
Philippines in Congress assembled::
*ection 1. Section 19 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, otherwise
known as the "Juiciar! "eorgani#ation $ct of 19%&", is hereb!
amene to rea as follows:
"Sec. 19. Jurisiction in ci'il cases. ( "egional )rial *ourts
shall e+ercise e+clusi'e original ,urisiction.
"-1. /n all ci'il actions in which the sub,ect of the
litigation is inca0able of 0ecuniar! estimation1
"-2. /n all ci'il actions which in'ol'e the title to, or
0ossession of, real 0ro0ert!, or an! interest therein,
where the assesse 'alue of the 0ro0ert! in'ol'e
e+cees )went! thousan 0esos -P2&,&&&,&&. or, for
ci'il actions in Metro Manila, where such 'alue
e+cees 2ift! thousan 0esos -P3&,&&&.&&. e+ce0t
actions for forcible entr! into an unlawful etainer of
lans or builings, original ,urisiction o'er which is
conferre u0on the Metro0olitan )rial *ourts,
Munici0al )rial *ourts, an Munici0al *ircuit )rial
*ourts1
"-4. /n all actions in amiralt! an maritime
,urisiction where the eman or claim e+cees 5ne
hunre thousan 0esos -P1&&,&&&.&&. or, in Metro
Manila, where such eman or claim e+cees )wo
hunre thousan 0esos -P2&&,&&&.&&.1
"-6. /n all matters of 0robate, both testate an
intestate, where the gross 'alue of the estate
e+cees 5ne hunre thousan 0esos
-P1&&,&&&.&&. or, in 0robate matters in Metro
Manila, where such gross 'alue e+cees )wo
7unre thousan 0esos -P2&&,&&&.&&.1
"-3. /n all actions in'ol'ing the contract of marriage
an marital relations1
"-8. /n all cases not within the e+clusi'e ,urisiction
of an! court, tribunal, 0erson or bo! e+ercising
,urisiction of an! court, tribunal, 0erson or bo!
e+ercising ,uicial or 9uasi:,uicial functions1
"-;. /n all ci'il actions an s0ecial 0roceeings falling
within the e+clusi'e original ,urisiction of a Ju'enile
an <omestic "elations *ourt an of the *ourt of
$grarian "elations as now 0ro'ie b! law1 an
"-%. /n all other cases in which the eman,
e+clusi'e of interest, amages of whate'er kin,
attorne!=s fees, litigation e+0enses, an costs or the
'alue of the 0ro0ert! in contro'ers! e+cees 5ne
hunre thousan 0esos -P1&&,&&&.&&. or, in such
other cases in Metro Manila, where the eman
e+clusi'e of the abo'ementione items e+cees )wo
7unre thousan 0esos -P2&&,&&&.&&.."
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*ection 2. Section 42 of the same law is hereb! amene to rea as
follows:
"Sec. 42. Jurisiction of Metro0olitan )rial *ourts, Munici0al
)rial *ourts an Munici0al *ircuit )rial *ourts in *riminal
*ases. ( >+ce0t in cases falling within the e+clusi'e original
,urisiction of "egional )rial *ourts an of the
Saniganba!an, the Metro0olitan )rial *ourts, Munici0al
)rial *ourts, an Munici0al *ircuit )rial *ourts shall e+ercise:
"-1. >+clusi'e original ,urisiction o'er all 'iolations
of cit! or munici0al orinances committe within their
res0ecti'e territorial ,urisiction1 an
"-2. >+clusi'e original ,urisiction o'er all offenses
0unishable with im0risonment not e+ceeing si+ -8.
!ears irres0ecti'e of the amount of fine, an
regarless of other im0osable accessor! or other
0enalties, incluing the ci'il liabilit! arising from such
offenses or 0reicate thereon, irres0ecti'e of kin,
nature, 'alue or amount thereof: Pro'ie, howe'er,
)hat in offenses in'ol'ing amage to 0ro0ert!
through criminal negligence, the! shall ha'e
e+clusi'e original ,urisiction thereof."
*ection 6. Section 44 of the same law is hereb! amene to rea as
follows:
"Sec. 44. Jurisiction of Metro0olitan )rial *ourts, Munici0al
)rial *ourts an Munici0al *ircuit )rial *ourts in *i'il *ases.
( Metro0olitan )rial *ourts, Munici0al )rial *ourts, an
Munici0al *ircuit )rial *ourts shall e+ercise:
"-1. >+clusi'e original ,urisiction o'er ci'il actions
an 0robate 0roceeings, testate an intestate,
incluing the grant of 0ro'isional remeies in 0ro0er
cases, where the 'alue of the 0ersonal 0ro0ert!,
estate, or amount of the eman oes not e+cee
5ne hunre thousan 0esos -P1&&,&&&.&&. or, in
Metro Manila where such 0ersonal 0ro0ert!, estate,
or amount of the eman oes not e+cee )wo
hunre thousan 0esos -P2&&,&&&.&&., e+clusi'e of
interest, amages of whate'er kin, attorne!=s fees,
litigation e+0enses, an costs, the amount of which
must be s0ecificall! allege: Pro'ie, )hat interest,
amages of whate'er kin, attorne!=s fees, litigation
e+0enses, an costs shall be inclue in the
etermination of the filing fees: Pro'ie, further,
)hat where there are se'eral claims or causes of
actions between the same or ifferent 0arties,
emboie in the same com0laint, the amount of the
eman shall be the totalit! of the claims in all the
causes of action, irres0ecti'e of whether the causes
of action arose out of the same or ifferent
transactions1
"-2. >+clusi'e original ,urisiction o'er cases of
forcible entr! an unlawful etainer: Pro'ie, )hat
when, in such cases, the efenant raises the
9uestions of ownershi0 in his 0leaings an the
9uestion of 0ossession cannot be resol'e without
eciing the issue of ownershi0, the issue of
ownershi0 shall be resol'e onl! to etermine the
issue of 0ossession1 an
"-4. >+clusi'e original ,urisiction in all ci'il actions
which in'ol'e title to, or 0ossession of, real 0ro0ert!,
or an! interest therein where the assesse 'alue of
the 0ro0ert! or interest therein oes not e+cee
)went! thousan 0esos -P2&,&&&.&&. or, in ci'il
actions in Metro Manila, where such assesse 'alue
oes not e+cee 2ift! thousan 0esos -P3&,&&&.&&.
e+clusi'e of interest, amages of whate'er kin,
attorne!=s fees, litigation e+0enses an costs:
Pro'ie, )hat in cases of lan not eclare for
ta+ation 0ur0oses, the 'alue of such 0ro0ert! shall
be etermine b! the assesse 'alue of the a,acent
lots."
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*ection . Section 46 of the same law is hereb! amene to rea as
follows:
"Sec. 46. <elegate Jurisiction in *aastral an ?an
"egistration *ases. ( Metro0olitan )rial *ourts, Munici0al
)rial *ourts, an Munici0al *ircuit )rial *ourts ma! be
assigne b! the Su0reme *ourt to hear an etermine
caastral or lan registration cases co'ering lots where there
is no contro'ers! or o00osition, or conteste lots where the
'alue of which oes not e+cee 5ne hunre thousan
0esos -P1&&,&&&.&&., such 'alue to be ascertaine b! the
affia'it of the claimant or b! agreement of the res0ecti'e
claimants if there are more than one, or from the
corres0oning ta+ eclaration of the real 0ro0ert!. )heir
ecisions in these cases shall be a00ealable in the same
manner as ecisions of the "egional )rial *ourts."
*ection 5. $fter fi'e -3. !ears from the effecti'it! of this $ct, the
,urisictional amounts mentione in Sec. 19-4., -6., an -%.1 an Sec.
44-1. of Batas Pambansa Blg. 129 as amene b! this $ct, shall be
a,uste to )wo hunre thousan 0esos -P2&&,&&&.&&.. 2i'e -3.
!ears thereafter, such ,urisictional amounts shall be a,uste further
to )hree hunre thousan 0esos -P4&&,&&&.&&.: Pro'ie,
howe'er, )hat in the case of Metro Manila, the abo'ementione
,urisictional amounts shall be a,uste after fi'e -3. !ears from the
effecti'it! of this $ct to 2our hunre thousan 0esos -P6&&,&&&.&&..
*ection 6. $ll laws, ecrees, an orers inconsistent with the
0ro'isions of this $ct shall be consiere amene or moifie
accoringl!.
*ection 7. )he 0ro'isions of this $ct shall a00l! to all ci'il cases that
ha'e not !et reache the 0re:trial stage. 7owe'er, b! agreement of
all the 0arties, ci'il cases cogni#able b! munici0al an metro0olitan
courts b! the 0ro'isions of this $ct ma! be transferre from the
"egional )rial *ourts to the latter. )he e+ecuti'e ,uge of the
a00ro0riate "egional )rial *ourts shall efine the aministrati'e
0roceure of transferring the cases affecte b! the reefinition of
,urisiction to the Metro0olitan )rial *ourts, Munici0al )rial *ourts,
an Munici0al *ircuit )rial *ourts.
*ection 4. )his $ct shall take effect fifteen -13. a!s following its
0ublication in the 5fficial @a#ette or in two -2. national news0a0ers
of general circulation.
$00ro'e: March 25, 199
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