THE Supreme Court (SC) yesterday said it has designated seven regional trial courts (RTCs) and four Metropolitan Trial Courts (MeTCs) under the jurisdiction of Makati City as assisting courts in Taguig City.
The move, the SC said, is needed pending the creation of additional courts in Taguig as a result of the transfer of 10 barangays from Makati to the former.
In its resolution dated December 5, 2023, the SC designated the following RTCs as assisting courts: Branch 136, Judge Rico Sebastian D. Liwanag (family court); Branch 144, Judge Liza Marie R. Picardal-Tecson (family court); Branch 147, Judge Karla Regina D. Valera-Chua (special commercial court); Branch 63, Judge Jacob M. Montesa II (drugs court); Branch 145, Judge Karen A. Matti-Sy; Branch 65, Judge Veronica B. Tongio-Igot (drugs court); and Branch 134, Judge Redentor Dela Cruz Cardenas.
Also designated as assisting courts in Taguig City are Branch 61, Judge Xavier Paolo R. Del Castillo; Branch 66, Judge Niño Delvin E. Embuscado; Branch 128, Judge Maureen L. Rubio Marquez; and Branch 129, Judge Alexius P. Tang.
“Effective January 1, 2024, the Offices of the Clerk of Court of the RTCs and MeTCs shall require parties filing civil and criminal cases before the Taguig City Courts to provide their landline or mobile phone numbers and email addresses, which shall form part of the official records of the cases,” the SC resolution said.
“Such cases shall then be raffled to the station in accordance with existing rules. The Clerks of Court of the Office of the Clerks of Courts or OCCs shall immediately forward the case records to the branches to which the cases have been raffled for recording. The case records shall then be transmitted back to the OCCs, and then forwarded to the OCCs of Makati City, for distribution to the Assisting Courts,” it added.
The High Court said that in urgent cases that require immediate action, the Executive Judge of the Taguig City court where the case was filed may act on urgent temporary reliefs prayed for as provided under the Rules of Court before the case is forwarded to the Makati City court to which it has been assigned.
It added that any motion for reconsideration shall be filed with the Makati City court within the time allowed by the Rules, while appeals on the judgment or final order of the Makati City MeTC shall be taken to the Taguig City RTC.
On the other hand, if no appeal or motion for reconsideration is timely filed, the case records shall be forwarded from the branch of the Makati City court to its OCC, then transmitted to the Taguig City Court for execution.
The judgment or final order shall then be entered by the Clerk of Court of the Taguig City court in its book of entries of judgment.
The SC further said that for civil actions in violation of Batas Pambansa Blg.22 or the “bouncing checks law,” decided by the Makati City court, the latter shall execute the judgment.
“The criminal action, which may be provisionally dismissed or archived, shall also be heard by the same Makati City court, upon revival within the period of this interim program,” the SC added.
