3. Second-level Courts

Second-level Courts

Concept

Second-level courts comprise the Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) and Shari’ah District Courts (SDCs). Both exercise jurisdiction conferred by law, but they serve different purposes. RTCs are the principal trial courts of general jurisdiction in the regular court system. SDCs hear matters assigned to them under the laws governing Muslim personal law and the Bangsamoro justice system. Calling both second-level courts describes their place in the court structure; it does not make their jurisdiction interchangeable. (B.P. Blg. 129) (P.D. No. 1083) (R.A. No. 11054)

Governing provisions

B.P. Blg. 129 establishes the RTCs and defines their original and appellate jurisdiction. R.A. No. 7691 and R.A. No. 11576 amended the allocation of cases between RTCs and first-level courts, including jurisdiction determined by the value of property or the amount claimed. The governing statute must therefore be read as amended, rather than by relying on an earlier monetary threshold. (B.P. Blg. 129) (R.A. No. 7691) (R.A. No. 11576)

P.D. No. 1083, the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines, provides for Shari’ah courts and assigns them particular cases involving Muslim personal law. R.A. No. 11054, the Bangsamoro Organic Law, also addresses the Shari’ah justice system in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. These enactments identify the SDC’s distinct field of jurisdiction; it is not an RTC exercising a different name. (P.D. No. 1083) (R.A. No. 11054)

Requisites / Rules

• Identify the case before choosing the court: its subject matter, the relief sought, and any jurisdictional amount or property value matter under B.P. Blg. 129, as amended. A case involving Muslim parties does not, for that reason alone, belong in an SDC; the law must assign the matter to that court. (B.P. Blg. 129) (R.A. No. 11576) (P.D. No. 1083)
• Distinguish original from appellate jurisdiction. RTCs hear cases filed directly with them and, where the law provides, review decisions of first-level courts. SDC jurisdiction must likewise be traced to its governing enactment, not inferred from its second-level classification. (B.P. Blg. 129) (P.D. No. 1083)

Key doctrines

Jurisdiction is fixed by law, not by a party’s preferred forum. A dispute connected with a special statutory scheme must be checked against that scheme before it is treated as an ordinary RTC case. For example, litigation arising from the sequestration of alleged Marcos ill-gotten property may fall within the Sandiganbayan’s exclusive original jurisdiction rather than that of an RTC. (Africa v. Presidential Commission on Good Government, G.R. No. 83831, 9 January 1992)¹

Bar tip

Start with the statute assigning subject-matter jurisdiction. Then check whether the question concerns an RTC, an SDC, a first-level court, or a court given exclusive jurisdiction by a special law. (B.P. Blg. 129) (P.D. No. 1083) (Africa v. Presidential Commission on Good Government)¹