JURISDICTION OF PHILIPPINE COURTS
IN CIVIL CASES
MUNICIPAL TRIAL COURTS
A. ORIGINAL JURISDICTION
1. Exclusive
a. Actions involving personal property whose value does
not exceed 300,000 or, in Metro Manila, 400,000;
b. Actions demanding sums of money not exceeding
300,000 or, in Metro Manila 400,000, exclusive of interest,
damages, attorneys fees, litigation expenses, and costs;
c. Actions in admiralty and maritime jurisdiction where the
demand or claim does not exceed 300,000 or, in Metro
Manila, 400,000 exclusive of interest, damages, attorneys
fees, litigation expenses, and costs;
d. Probate proceedings, testate or intestate, where the
gross value of the estate does not exceed 300,000 or, in
Metro Manila, 400,000;
e. Forcible entry and unlawful detainer cases;
f. Actions involving title to or possession of real property,
or any interest therein, where the assessed value does not
exceed 20,000 or, in Metro Manila 50,000 exclusive of
interest, damages, attorneys fees, litigation expenses,
and costs.
(Note: The RTC/MTC has current jurisdiction with the
Insurance Commissioner in cases where the amount in
any single claim against the insurer, excluding interest,
costs, and attorneys fees, does not exceed 5,000,000.
Sec. 420, Insurance Code).
MTC has exclusive jurisdiction over action for
enforcement of an amicable settlement executed before
the Barangay regardless of the amount involved pursuant
to Sec. 417 of the Local Government Code.
2. Delegated
a. Cadastral or land registration cases covering lots where
there is no controversy or opposition, or contested lots the
value of which does not exceed 100,000 as may be
assigned by the Supreme Court.
3. Special
a. Petitions for habeas corpus in absence of all the
Regional Trial Judges in the province or city.
REGIONAL TRIAL COURT COURT OF APPEALS SUPREME COURT
A. ORIGINAL JURISDICTION A. ORIGINAL JURISDICTION A. ORIGINAL JURISDICTION
1. Exclusive 1. Exclusive 1. Exclusive
a. Actions in which the subject of the litigation is incapable a. Actions for annulment of judgments of RTCs; and a. Petitions for certiorari, prohibition or mandamus
of pecuniary estimation; against:
b. Special civil action for certiorari against a RTCs order 1. CA
b. Actions involving title to or possession of real property approving or disapproving the Rehabilitation plan or any 2. COMELEC
or any interest therein, where the assessed value of such order issued after the approval of the rehabilitation plan. 3. COA
property exceeds 20,000 or, in Metro Manila 50,000, (2013 Financial Rehabilitation Rules of Procedure, Rule 6) 4. CTA
except forcible entry and unlawful detainer; 5. SANDIGANBAYAN
2. Concurrent
c. Actions in admiralty and maritime jurisdiction where the a. With the SC; 2. Concurrent-
demand or claim exceeds 300,000 or, in Metro Manila (1) With the CA
400,000; b. With the SC and the RTCs; and 1. Petitions for certiorari, prohibition or mandamus
against:
d. Matters of probate, testate or intestate, where the gross c. With the SC, Sandiganbayan, and RTC. Petition for writ a. RTC; and
value of the estate exceeds 300,000 or, in Metro Manila, of amparo and habeas data. b. NLRC (All such petitions over NLRC cases should
4000,000; be filed with the CA unless there are compelling
and exceptional circumstances.)
e. Actions involving marriage and marital relations;
(2) With the CA and RTC
f. Cases not within the exclusive jurisdiction of any court, 1. Petitions for certiorari, prohibition or mandamus
tribunal, person or body exercising judicial or quasi-judicial against courts of the first level and other bodies; and
functions; (e.g. boundary dispute between a municipality
and an independent component city.) 2. Petitions for habeas corpus and quo warranto.
g. Other cases where the demand, exclusive of interest, (3) With the RTC
damages, attorneys fees, litigation expenses, and 1. Actions against ambassadors, other public
costs, or the value of the property exceeds 300,000 or, ministers and consuls.
Metro Manila 400,000;
(4) With the Sandiganbayan
h. Actions for annulment of MTC judgments; 1. Petitions for certiorari, prohibition, mandamus,
habeas corpus, injunctions and ancillary writs in aid of its
i. Actions for recognition and enforcement of arbitration appellate jurisdiction and over petitions of similar nature,
agreement, vacation or modification of arbitration award, including quo warranto in PCGG cases.
application for arbitration award and supervision.(Sec. 47,
Alternative Dispute Resolution Act of 2004). (5) With the CA, Sandiganbayan, and RTC
1. Petition for a writ of amparo (S3 Rule on the Writ of
j. Citizen suit under Section 41 of the Clean Air Act; and Amparo).
k. Petition for assistance in the liquidation of a bank or 2. Petition for a writ of habeas data
quasi-bank filed by a receiver pursuant to S30 of the (S3 Rule on the Writ of Habeas Data).
New Central Bank Act.
2. Family Courts
a. Petitions for guardianship, custody of children, and
habeas corpus in relation to the latter;
4. Summary Procedure
a. Forcible entry and unlawful detainer cases irrespective
of the amount of damages or unpaid rentals sought to be
recovered; and
b. All other court cases except probate proceedings,
where the total claim does not exceed 100,000 or, in Metro
Manila 200,000 exclusive of interest and costs.
b. Petitions for adoption of children and revocation thereof;
c. Complaints for annulment or nullification of marriage,
those relating to marital status and property relations
of spouses or those living together under different status
and agreements, and petitions for dissolution of
conjugal partnership gains;
d. Petitions for support and/or acknowledgment; and
e. Summary judicial proceedings brought under the Family
Code. (Sec. 5, Family Courts Act of 1997)
3. Special Commercial Courts
a. Cases involving violations of Intellectual Property Rights
b. Cases enumerated under Sec. 5, of PD 902-A. (Fraud
scheme cases, intra-corporate disputes, election cases,
petitions for suspension of payments and/or rehabilitation
proceedings).
c. Rehabilitation, Insolvency and Liquidation (RIL) cases
brought under the Financial Rehabilitation and Insolvency
Act of 2010 and those emanating from administrative
proceedings.
4. Special Agrarian Courts
a. Original and exclusive jurisdiction over all petitions for
the determination of just compensation to landowners, and
the prosecution of all criminal offenses under the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law.
5. Concurrent
a. With the SC
1. Actions affecting ambassadors, other public ministers
and consuls.
6. Concurrent
a. With the SC and the CA
1. Petitions for certiorari, prohibition and mandamus
against lower courts and bodies; and
2. Petitions for habeas corpus and quo warranto.
b. With the SC, CA, and Sandiganbayan
1. Petition for writ of amparo and habeas data.
B. APPELLATE JURISDICTION B. APPELLATE JURISDICTION B. APPELLATE JURISDICTION
All cases decided by the MTCs in their respective 1. Ordinary Appeals from: 1. Petitions for review on certiorari against:
territorial jurisdictions. a. RTCs, except in cases exclusively appealable to the a. Court of Appeals;
SC; b. Sandiganbayan; and
b. Family Courts; and c. RTCs in cases involving-
c. Special Commercial Courts. 1. Constitutionality or validity of a treaty,
international or executive agreement, law,
2. Appeal by petition for review (R43) from: presidential decree, proclamation, order,
a. Civil Service Commission; instruction, ordinance, or regulation;
b. Securities and Exchange Commission;
c. Land Registration Authority;
2. Legality of tax, impost, assessment, toll or a
d. Social Security Commission;
penalty in relation thereto;
e. Office of the President;
f. Civil Aeronautics Board;
3. Jurisdiction of a lower court; and
g. Bureau of Patents, Trademarks and Technology
Transfer;
4. Pure error or question of law.
h. National Electrification Administration;
i. Energy Regulatory Board;
j. National Telecommunications Commission
k. Department of Agrarian Reform under R.A 6657;
l. Government Service Insurance System;
m. Employees Compensation Commission
n. Agricultural Inventions Board;
o. Insurance Commission;
p. Philippine Atomic Energy Commission;
q. Board of Investments;
r. Construction Industry Arbitration Commission;
s. Voluntary arbitrators authorized by law.

3. Any other quasi-judicial agency, instrumentality, board of

commission in the exercise of its quasi-judicial functions.
(Note: Per Sec 19 of RA 1125 as amended by RA 9282
decisions of the CTA en banc are appealable to SC via
R45; decisions of the CTA division denying a motion for
reconsideration are appealable to the CTA en banc by way
of petition for review. Judgments or final orders of Central
Board Assessment Appeals are appealable to CTA within
30 days from by filing a petition for review analogous with
R42; with respect to judgments or final orders of the CBAA
in the exercise of its appellate jurisdiction, appeal shall be
made by filing a petition for review analogous to R43).

4. Petitions for review (R42) from the RTC in cases

appealed thereto from the lower courts.

5. Petitions for review (R42) from the RTC acting as a

Special Agrarian Court. (Note: S60 of the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Law).
(Note: See Sec 7 of RA 1125 as amended by RA 9282
which grants the CTA exclusive appellate jurisdiction over
RTC decisions in local tax cases, tax crime cases, and tax
collection cases.)

SANDIGANBAYAN
A. EXCLUSIVE ORIGINAL JURISDICTION
1. Civil cases filed pursuant to Executive Orders Nos. 1, 2,
14, and 14-A issued in 1986. (PCGG cases for forfeiture of
ill-gotten wealth).

Exclusive original jurisdiction over petitions for certiorari,

prohibitions, mandamus, habeas corpus, injunctions, and
other ancillary writs and processes in aid of its appellate
jurisdiction and over petitions of similar nature, including
quo warranto, arising or that may arise in cases filed or
which may be filed under Executive Orders Nos. 1, 2, 14,
and 14-A issued in 1986; provided that the jurisdiction over
this petitions shall not be exclusive of the Supreme Court.

B. CONCURRENT ORIGINAL with SC, CA, and RTC.

1. Petition for writ of amparo and habeas data.