Republic of the Philippines
Supreme Court
Office of the Court Avministrator
Manila
OCA CIRCULAR NO, _72-2022
TO : ALL JUDGES, CLERKS OF COURT, BRANCH
CLERKS OF COURT, AND OFFICERS-IN-
CHARGE OF THE FIRST AND SECOND LEVEL
COURTS
SUBJECT : GUIDELINES ON CASES FALLING WITHIN THE
JURISDICTION OF THE FIRST LEVEL COURTS
PURSUANT TO REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11576
In view of the approval by the Supreme Court En Banc of
the Rules on Expedited Procedures in the First Level Courts
(A.M. No. 08-8-7-SC) per its Resolution dated 01 March 2022,
wherein the effectivity thereof was decreed to “prospectively
apply only to cases filed from (11 April 2022)” and based on
the guidance of the Honorable Chief Justice Alexander G.
Gesmundo that Republic Act (R.A.) No. 11576, entitled an Act
Further Expanding the Jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Trial Courts,
Municipal Trial Courts in Cities Municipal Trial Courts and
Municipal Circuit Trial Courts, Amending for the Purpose Batas
Pambansa Blg. 129, Otherwise known as ‘The Judiciary
Reorganization Act of 1980," as amended, is to be applied
prospectively as provided in the said law, all concerned judges,
clerks of court, branch clerks of court, and officers-in-charge of
the first and second level courts are hereby DIRECTED to
follow the guidelines below:
1. for those cases filed with the second level courts before
21 August 2021 which fall under the jurisdiction of the first level
courts pursuant to R.A. No. 11576, regardless of the stage
thereof, the same shall remain with and be decided by the
concerned second level courts;
" Rule V (Effectivity), A.M, No, 08-8-7-5C2. for those cases which were remanded by the second
level courts to the first level courts pursuant to OCA Circular
No. 115-2021 dated 20 August 2021 (Re: Effectivity of Republic
Act No. 11576), irrespective of the stage of proceedings, the same
shall be RETURNED to the concerned second level courts; and,
3. for those remanded cases by the second level courts to
the first level courts which had already been decided by the
latter courts prior to the issuance of this circular, the said
decisions are deemed in order and valid as the concerned first
level courts are considered to have acquired jurisdiction over the
subject cases.
To clarify, cases filed after 21 August 2021 and up to
10 April 2022, falling under the jurisdiction of first level courts
pursuant to R.A. 11576, are not covered by the “Rules on
Expedited Procedures in the First Level Courts’ since said
pending cases “shall remain with and be decided by those same
courts (first or second level courts) based on the rules applicable
at the time those cases were filed.”
For guidance and strict compliance.
_28 March 2022
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