In accordance with Republic Act No. 11576 enacted in 2021, below is a comprehensive outline of the jurisdiction of Municipal Trial Courts, Metropolitan Trial Courts, Municipal Circuit Trial Courts, and Municipal Trial Courts in Cities:
Original Jurisdiction in:
I. Civil Cases
1. Exclusive
a. Actions involving personal property valued at not more than ₱2,000,000.00;
b. Actions demanding sums of money not exceeding ₱2,000,000.00, exclusive of interest, damages, attorney’s fees, litigation expenses and costs, the amount of which must be specifically alleged, but the filing fees thereon shall be paid. These include admiralty and maritime cases;
c. Actions involving title or possession of real property, or any interest therein, where the assessed value does not exceed ₱400,000.00;
d. Provisional remedies in principal actions within their jurisdiction, and in proper cases such as preliminary attachment, preliminary injunction, appointment of receiver and delivery of personal property; (Rules 57, 58, 59, and 60);
e. Forcible entry and unlawful detainer, with jurisdiction to resolve issue of ownership to determine issue of possession;
f. Probate proceedings, testate or intestate, where the gross value of the estate does not exceed ₱2,000,000.00;
g. Inclusion and exclusion of voters, (Sec. 38, Batas Pambansa Blg. 881, Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines).
2. Special
Petition for habeas corpus in the absence of all Regional Trial Court judges (Sec. 35, Batas Pambansa Blg. 129).
II. Criminal Cases
1. Exclusive
a. Violations of traffic laws, rules, and regulations;
b. Violations of the rental law;
c. All violations of city or municipal ordinances committed within their respective territorial jurisdictions;
d. All offenses punishable with imprisonment of not more than six (6) years irrespective of fine and regardless of other imposable accessory or other penalties and the civil liability arising therefrom; provided, however, that in offenses involving damage to property through criminal negligence they shall have exclusive original jurisdiction (Sec. 32, Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, as amended by R.A. 7691);
e. All offenses committed not falling within the exclusive original jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan where none of the accused is occupying a position corresponding to salary grade “27” and higher (As amended by R.A. 7975 and R.A. 8249);
f. In cases where the only penalty provided by law is a fine not exceeding ₱50,000.00;
ATTY. CHAN’S NOTE: In the original text of Sec. 32 (2) of BP 129, MTCs have jurisdiction over criminal offenses where the only penalty provided by law is a fine provided that the fine does not exceed ₱4,000.00. In March 1994, RA 7691 was enacted which removed that proviso. In June 1994, the SC promulgated Administrative Circular No. 09-94 which maintained that, despite the removal of old text of Sec. 32 (2) of BP 129, “in cases where the only penalty provided by law is a fine, the amount thereof shall determine the jurisdiction of the court in accordance with the original provisions of Section 32 (2) of B.P. Blg. 129 which fixed original exclusive jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts, and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts over offenses punishable with a fine of not more than four thousand pesos. If the amount of the fine exceeds four thousand pesos, the Regional Trial Court shall have jurisdiction.” Now, when RA 11576 was enacted in 2021, the SC promulgated the Rules on Expedited Procedures in the First Level Courts which provided that (1) if a criminal offense is punishable by a fine only which does not exceed ₱50,000.00, and (2) in reckless imprudence resulting in damages cases where the imposable fine does not exceed ₱150,000.00, the same shall be tried under Summary Rules. Based on this, it would appear that the jurisdictional amount was expanded from ₱4,000.00 to ₱50,000.00 or ₱150,000.00, as the case may be. Now whether or not the SC may do that, despite the silence of RA 11576, is up for debate.
2. Special
Applications for bail in the absence of all Regional Trial Court judges (Sec. 35, Batas Pambansa Blg. 129).
**Enumeration is patterned from the Bench Book of Ret. CA Justice Magdangal M. de Leon
