OVERVIEW OF THE

PHILIPPINE JUDICIAL
SYSTEM
Chapter 3

1. Brief History of the Supreme

Court
May 5, 1583 Royal Audiencia a collegial body serves
as the highest
tribunal. Then became as
Audiencia Territorial de
Manila with two
branches, Civil and Criminal.
July 4, 1861 Converted by a Royal Decree to a purely
judicial body but
its decisions can be appealed to
the Supreme Court of
Spain sitting in Madrid.
1898
Manila fell to American forces and Gen.
Wesley Merritt
established military government,
suspended criminal
jurisdiction of the Audiencias
and organized military
commissions or court

May 29, 1899 Gen. Elwell S. Otis re-established the

Audeincia and
giving it jurisdiction over civil and
criminal cases.
June 11, 1901 Second Philippine Commission issued Act
136
otherwise known as the Judiciary Law marks the
birth
of the Supreme Court.
Judiciary Law Judicial power in the Philippine Islands was
vested in
the Supreme Court, Courts of First
Instance and Justice
of the Peace Courts.

May 4, 1945 Membership in the Supreme Court

increased to 11. A
chief justice and ten
associate justices, who sat en banc
or in two
divisions.
1973 Constitution Membership was increased to 15,
who sat en banc
or in two divisions.
1987 Constitution Supreme Court may sit en banc or
in three
division of five members each.

2. Overview of the Philippine

Judicial System
One of the three branches of government.
Consists of four levels:

Municipal Trial Courts

Regional Trial Courts
Court of Appeals
Supreme Court

Independent from Executive and Legislative branches.

 Members are selected from a list of nominees submitted

by Philippine Judicial and Bar Council.
Only natural-born citizens may hold a position.
May hold office, during good behavior, until the age of
70.

2.1 Separation of Powers under

the 1987 Constitution
Centered on the existence of three distinct functions of
government.
Conviction that the functions should be kept apart in
order to prevent the centralization of too much power.

2.2 Court Defined

An organ of the government, belonging to the judicial
department, whose function is the application of laws to
controversies brought before it and the public
administration of justice. (Blacks Law Dictionary)

2.3 Judiciary and the Supreme

Court Distinguished
The Judiciary is composed of courts organized into four
levels. Metropolitan Trial Courts (MeTC), Municipal Trial
Courts (MTC), Municipal Trial Courts in Cities (MTCC)
and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts (MCTC) comprise the
first level of the judiciary. The Regional Trial Courts
(RTC) occupy the second level while the Court of
Appeals (CA) and the Supreme Court (SC) occupy the
third and fourth levels, respectively.
The Supreme Court is the top of the judicial ladder. It
is often call the Court of Last Resort since decisions
and resolutions issued by it with finality may no longer
be appealed.

2.4 Supreme Court and

Department of Justice
Distinguished

The Supreme Court heads the judicial branch of

government, has supervisory power over all trial courts,
the Court of Appeals, the Sandiganbayand and the
Court of Tax Appeals.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is a department
under the executive branch, has supervisory power over
all prosecutors and public defenders, the National
Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Immigration,
Board of Pardons and Parole, and Bureau of Corrections
(BuCor). It shares supervisory power with the
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)
over the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology

2.5 Bar and Bench Distinguished

The Bench, which originally indicates the seat of
judges, came to denote the body of judges taken
collectively.
The Bar refers to the aggregate of lawyers whose
names are included in the Roll of Attorneys of the
Supreme Court.

2.6 Jurisprudence Defined

Refers to the philosophy of law, or the science which
treats of the principles of positive law and legal
relations. As such, it refers to the aggregate of decisions
issued the Supreme Court which now form part of the
legal doctrines of the land.

2.7 Judges and Justices

Judges are the presiding officers of the lower trial
courts, and these include the Municipal and City Courts,
the Regional Trial Courts, and the Sharia Courts.
Justices are the judicial officers of the Court of Appeals,
the Sandiganbayan, the Court of Tax Appeals, and the
Supreme Court of the Philippines.

2.8 No Trial by Jury in the

Philippines
The Philippines follows the civil systems where there is
no jury trial unlike in the common law countries like the
US and the UK.
In the adversary procedure of the common law,
arguments are addressed orally to the court, and the
evidence is directly presented to it or to the jury.

3. Levels of Courts in the

Philippines
Supreme Court

Sandiganbayan

Court of
Appeals

Regional Trial
Courts

Court of Tax
Appeals

Quasi-Judicial
Bodies

Municipal Trial
Courts

COA
COMELEC

3.1 Municipal and City Courts

If the court covers only one (1) municipality, it is called
Municipal Trial Court (MTC), and if the court covers
two (2) or more municipalities, it is called Municipal
Circuit Trial Court (MCTC).
In Metro Manila, the equivalents of MTC are called
Metropolitan Trial Courts (Metro TC), and in the
cities outside Metro Manila, the courts are called
Municipal Trial Courts in Cities (MTCC).

Municipal Trial Courts

Municipal Trial Court (MTC) one court in one municipality
Municipal Circuit Trial Court (MCTC) one court in two of more
municipalities
Metropolitan Trial Court (MetroTC) municipal courts in Metro
Manila
Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) courts in cities outside
Metro Manila

3.2 Regional Trial Courts (RTC)

Formerly known as the Court of First Instance (CFI).
Where decided cases coming from the MTC, MCTC,
MTCC and MetroTC are appealed.
Exercise exclusive and original jurisdiction in all criminal
cases not within the exclusive jurisdiction of any court,
tribunal or body, except those now falling under the
exclusive and concurrent jurisdiction of the
Sandiganbayan.

3.3 Sharia Courts

Has jurisdiction on provinces in Mindanao where the
Muslim Code on Personal Laws is enforced.
Sharia District Courts are equivalent in rank to the
Regional Trial Courts.
Sharia Circuit Courts in the municipalities are
equivalent in rank to the Municipal Circuit Trial Courts.

3.4 Court of Tax Appeals (CTA)

Has the exclusive appellate jurisdiction to review by
appeal the decisions of the Commissioner of Inter
Revenue and the Commissioner of Customs, on certain
matters.
Composed of Presiding Justice and five (5) Associate
Judges.
Has the original and appellate jurisdictions over civil
and criminal tax cases, and matter involving criminal
violation and collection of revenues under the National
Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) and Tariff and Customs
Code (TCC).
Has jurisdiction over cases involving local and real

3.5 Sandiganbayan
Is a graft court which has exclusive jurisdiction over
violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019),
as amended, the Unexplained Wealth Act (RA 1379) and other
offenses or felonies committed by public officials and employees
in relation to their office, including employees of GOCCs.
Has exclusive jurisdiction in all cases where the penalty
prescribed by law is more than six (6) years imprisonment or a
fine of P6,000.00 and also appellate jurisdiction over decisions
of MTCs and RTCs in cases of the same nature.
Composed of a Presiding Justice and fourteen (14) associate
justices, divided into 5 divisions, with 5 justices for each
division.

3.6 Court of Appeals

Formerly the Intermediate Appellate Court (IAC).
Appeals on the decisions of the RTC, quasi-judicial
agencies, board of commissions are generally brought
to the CA.
Has one (1) Presiding Justice and fifty (50) Associate
Justices distributed into 17 divisions, with 3 justices for
each division.
Reviews not only the decisions and orders of the RTCs
nationwide, as well as the awards, judgments, final
orders or resolutions of, or authorized by 21 QuasiJudicial Agencies exercising quasi-judicial functions, plus
the National Amnesty Commissions and the Office of

3.7 Supreme Court

The highest court of the land.
Composed of Chief Justice and 14 Associate
Justices.
May sit en banc or at its discretion, in divisions of 3,
5, 7 members.

3.8 Time Frame for the Courts to

Decide Cases
Supreme Court must be resolved within 24 months
from the date of submission.
All lower collegiate courts must be resolved with
12 months from the date of submission.
All other lower courts within 3 months from date
of submission.