Metropolitan Trial

Courts

There are four kinds of first-level courts in the Philippines:

 Each city in the Philippines have its own trial court. These First Level Courts are more
commonly referred to as Metropolitan Trial Courts (MeTCs). The Metropolitan trial courts
(MeTCs) are the first level courts in the Metropolitan Manila area.

 Metropolitan trial courts exercise jurisdiction over civil cases involving amounts not
exceeding P400,000 and have original jurisdiction in criminal cases where the
punishment involved is a maximum of 6 years’ imprisonment or less.
Example of Criminal Cases handled by MeTC’s
 Grave coercion, grave slander, concubinages, reckless imprudence, unjust vexation, act
of lasciviousness, malicious mischief, and slight physically injury.

Example of Civil Cases handled by MeTC’s

 “Ejectment” cases, which include forcible entry or unlawful detainer (non-payment of
rentals), must always be filed with the MeTCs.

under the Rules of Civil Procedure, ejectment is a legal remedy for forcible entry or unlawful
detainer. Forcible entry is when a person is deprived of the possession of any land or building by
force, intimidation, threat, strategy, or stealth. Unlawful detainer, however, happens when the
possession of any land or building is unlawfully withheld from the owner or lessor after the expiration
of the contract or the termination of the vendee’s right to hold possession (Section 1, Rule 70 of the
Rules of Civil Procedure).
An example of forcible entry is when someone enters your land without your permission and builds a
structure inside the property. On the other hand, an example of unlawful detainer is when a contract
of lease expires or is terminated without the lessee/renter surrendering the possession of the
premises to the owner. In any of these instances, ejectment becomes the legal option for the owner
to regain possession.
The requirements may vary depending on the basis of the action for ejectment. If the ejectment is
rooted on forcible entry, the complaint must allege prior physical possession and that the deprivation
of possession is by reason of force, intimidation, threat, strategy or stealth. If the action for ejectment
springs from unlawful detainer, the lessor or owner shall push through with the action only after a
demand to pay or comply with the conditions of the lease and to vacate has been made upon the
lessee or renter (Section 2, Rule 70). Regardless of the basis of the action for ejectment, it must
always be verified. In fact, all pleadings filed in ejectment cases must be verified (Section 4, Rule
70).
The actions for ejectment shall only be instituted and tried in the Metropolitan Trial Court or
Municipal Trial Court where the real property involved or a portion thereof, is situated. The action
shall be commenced against the person or persons unlawfully withholding or depriving another of
possession, or any person or persons claiming under them. Ejectment action must be filed within 1
year from deprivation or withholding of possession (Section 1, Rule 70).

Unlawful detainer is when friends, family members or other persons are allowed to stay
on a property with no rent or payment and then refuse to leave. There is no lease or
rental agreement and no landlord/tenant relationship.

A common example is when a boyfriend and girlfriend live together in a house owned by
the girlfriend, and the boyfriend does not pay rent or utilities. After they break-up, the
boyfriend refuses to leave the house. The girlfriend can use an unlawful detainer to get
him to leave.

Metropolitan Trial Court of Metro Manila are composed of eighty-two (82) branches.
 Thirty branches (Branches I to XXX) for the city of Manila with seats thereat;
 Thirteen branches (Branches XXXI to XLIII) for Quezon City with seats thereat;
 Five branches (Branches XLIV to XLVIII) for Pasay City with seats thereat;
 Five branches (Branches XLIX to LIII) for Caloocan City with seats thereat;
 One branch (Branch LIV) for Navotas with seat thereat;
 Two branches (Branches LV and LVI) for Mindanao with seats thereat;
 Two branches (Branches LVII and LVIII) for San Juan with seats thereat;
 Two branches (Branches LIX and LX) for Mandaluyong with seats thereat;
 Seven branches (Branches LXI and LXVII) for Makati with seats thereat;
 Five branches (Branches LXVIII to LXXII) for Pasig with seats thereat;
 One branch (Branch LXXIII) for Pateros with seat thereat;
 One branch (Branch LXXIV) for Taguig with seat thereat;
 Two branches (Branches LXXV and LXXVI) for Marikina with seats thereat;
 Two branches (Branches LXXVII and LXXVIII) for Parañaque with seats thereat;
 One branch (Branch LXXIX) for Las Piñas with seat thereat;
 One branch (Branch LXXX) for Muntinlupa with seat thereat;
 Two branches (Branches LXXXI and LXXXII) for Valenzuela with seats thereat;
Qualifications

For the MeTCs judges, the qualifications are that applicants must be:

 natural-born Filipinos

 at least 30 years old,

 and with at least five years of legal practice.

Example Case:
DOJ charges Bikoy for falsely accusing lawyers of planning to oust Duterte

The Department of
Justice (DOJ) charged
Peter Joemel Advincula, alias Bikoy, of perjury over his false accusation that human rights
lawyers participated in a supposed plot to oust President Rodrigo Duterte.
The resolution was signed back in February 2020, but the charge was only filed in court on
January 11, 2021. Manila Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 17 Pairing Judge Immaculada
Concepcion Ylagan-Galang issued a warrant of arrest for Advincula on January 18, with a bail
of P18,000.
The DOJ said there is probable cause that Advincula made false statements when he wrote in
his affidavit that lawyers Chel Diokno, Erin Tañada, and Ted Te – all members of the Free Legal
Assistance Group – were involved in a plot to oust Duterte through the release of the narcolist
videos.
Diokno, Tañada and Te had all been earlier cleared by the DOJ in the inciting to sedition
complaint. The sedition complaint was filed by the Police Criminal Investigative and Detection
Group (CIDG) using Advincula's affidavit.
Source: By @ L I A N B U A N
LIAN.BUAN@RAPPLER.COM
https://www.rappler.com/nation/doj-charge-perjury-bikoy-oust-duterte-plot
https://twitter.com/lianbuan/status/1351760982155161601/photo/1