Republic Act 7691, 1994

H. No.
167
S. No. 1348
Republic of the Philippines

Congress of the Philippines
Metro Manila
Second Regular Session
Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-sixth

day of July, nineteen hundred and ninety-three.
[REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7691]
AN ACT EXPANDING THE JURISDICTION OF THE METROPOLITAN TRIAL COURTS,

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”
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress

assembled:
SECTION 1. Section 19 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, otherwise known as the “Judiciary
Reorganization Act of 1980”, is hereby amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 19. Jurisdiction in civil cases. – Regional Trial Courts shall exercise exclusive
original jurisdiction.
“(1) In all civil actions in which the subject of the litigation is incapable of pecuniary
estimation;
“(2) In all civil actions which involve the title to, or possession of, real property, or any
interest therein, where the assessed value of the property involved exceeds Twenty
thousand pesos (P20,000,00) or, for civil actions in Metro Manila, where such value
exceeds Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00) except actions for forcible entry into and
unlawful detainer of lands or buildings, original jurisdiction over which is conferred upon
the Metropolitan Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts, and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts;
“(3) In all actions in admiralty and maritime jurisdiction where the demand or claim
exceeds One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00) or, in Metro Manila, where such
demand or claim exceeds Two hundred thousand pesos (P200,000.00);
“(4) In all matters of probate, both testate and intestate, where the gross value of the
estate exceeds One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00) or, in probate matters in
Metro Manila, where such gross value exceeds Two Hundred thousand pesos
(P200,000.00);
“(5) In all actions involving the contract of marriage and marital relations;
“(6) In all cases not within the exclusive jurisdiction of any court, tribunal, person or body
exercising jurisdiction of any court, tribunal, person or body exercising judicial or quasi-
judicial functions;
“(7) In all civil actions and special proceedings falling within the exclusive original
jurisdiction of a Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and of the Court of Agrarian
Relations as now provided by law; and
“(8) In all other cases in which the demand, exclusive of interest, damages of whatever
kind, attorney’s fees, litigation expenses, and costs or the value of the property in
controversy exceeds One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00) or, in such other cases
in Metro Manila, where the demand exclusive of the abovementioned items exceeds Two
Hundred thousand pesos (P200,000.00).”
SEC. 2. Section 32 of the same law is hereby amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 32. Jurisdiction of Metropolitan Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts and Municipal
Circuit Trial Courts in Criminal Cases. – Except in cases falling within the exclusive
original jurisdiction of Regional Trial Courts and of the Sandiganbayan, the Metropolitan
Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts, and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts shall exercise:
“(1) Exclusive original jurisdiction over all violations of city or municipal ordinances
committed within their respective territorial jurisdiction; and
“(2) Exclusive original jurisdiction over all offenses punishable with imprisonment not
exceeding six (6) years irrespective of the amount of fine, and regardless of other
imposable accessory or other penalties, including the civil liability arising from such
offenses or predicated thereon, irrespective of kind, nature, value or amount thereof:
Provided, however, That in offenses involving damage to property through criminal
negligence, they shall have exclusive original jurisdiction thereof.”
SEC. 3. Section 33 of the same law is hereby amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 33. Jurisdiction of Metropolitan Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts and Municipal
Circuit Trial Courts in Civil Cases. – Metropolitan Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts, and
Municipal Circuit Trial Courts shall exercise:
“(1) Exclusive original jurisdiction over civil actions and probate proceedings, testate and
intestate, including the grant of provisional remedies in proper cases, where the value of
the personal property, estate, or amount of the demand does not exceed One hundred
thousand pesos (P100,000.00) or, in Metro Manila where such personal property, estate,
or amount of the demand does not exceed Two hundred thousand pesos (P200,000.00),
exclusive of interest, damages of whatever kind, attorney’s fees, litigation expenses, and
costs, the amount of which must be specifically alleged: Provided, That interest, damages
of whatever kind, attorney’s fees, litigation expenses, and costs shall be included in the
determination of the filing fees: Provided, further, That where there are several claims or
causes of actions between the same or different parties, embodied in the same complaint,
the amount of the demand shall be the totality of the claims in all the causes of action,
irrespective of whether the causes of action arose out of the same or different
transactions;
“(2) Exclusive original jurisdiction over cases of forcible entry and unlawful
detainer: Provided, That when, in such cases, the defendant raises the questions of
ownership in his pleadings and the question of possession cannot be resolved without
deciding the issue of ownership, the issue of ownership shall be resolved only to
determine the issue of possession; and
“(3) Exclusive original jurisdiction in all civil actions which involve title to, or possession
of, real property, or any interest therein where the assessed value of the property or
interest therein does not exceed Twenty thousand pesos (P20,000.00) or, in civil actions
in Metro Manila, where such assessed value does not exceed Fifty thousand pesos
(P50,000.00) exclusive of interest, damages of whatever kind, attorney’s fees, litigation
expenses and costs: Provided, That in cases of land not declared for taxation purposes,
the value of such property shall be determined by the assessed value of the adjacent
lots.”
SEC 4. Section 34 of the same law is hereby amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 34. Delegated Jurisdiction in Cadastral and Land Registration Cases. –

Metropolitan Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts, and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts may
be assigned by the Supreme Court to hear and determine cadastral or land registration
cases covering lots where there is no controversy or opposition, or contested lots where
the value of which does not exceed One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00), such
value to be ascertained by the affidavit of the claimant or by agreement of the respective
claimants if there are more than one, or from the corresponding tax declaration of the real
property. Their decisions in these cases shall be appealable in the same manner as
decisions of the Regional Trial Courts.”
SEC. 5. After five (5) years from the effectivity of this Act, the jurisdictional amounts
mentioned in Sec. 19(3), (4), and (8); and Sec. 33(1) of Batas Pambansa Blg. 129 as
amended by this Act, shall be adjusted to Two hundred thousand pesos (P200,000.00).
Five (5) years thereafter, such jurisdictional amounts shall be adjusted further to Three
hundred thousand pesos (P300,000.00): Provided, however, That in the case of Metro
Manila, the abovementioned jurisdictional amounts shall be adjusted after five (5) years
from the effectivity of this Act to Four hundred thousand pesos (P400,000.00).
SEC. 6. All laws, decrees, and orders inconsistent with the provisions of this Act shall be
considered amended or modified accordingly.
SEC. 7. The provisions of this Act shall apply to all civil cases that have not yet reached
the pre-trial stage. However, by agreement of all the parties, civil cases cognizable by
municipal and metropolitan courts by the provisions of this Act may be transferred from
the Regional Trial Courts to the latter. The executive judge of the appropriate Regional
Trial Courts shall define the administrative procedure of transferring the cases affected
by the redefinition of jurisdiction to the Metropolitan Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts,
and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts.
SEC. 8. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its publication in the Official
Gazette or in two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,
(Sgd.) EDGARDO J. ANGARA

President of the Senate
This bill which is a consolidation of House Bill No. 167 and Senate Bill No. 1348 was
finally passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on March 9, 1994 and
March 7, 1994, respectively.
(Sgd.) EDGARDO E. TUMANGAN

Secretary of the Senate
Approved: 25 MARCH 1994
(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS

President of the Philippines
Source: Presidential Management Staff

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Republic Act 7691, 1994

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H. No.

Republic of the Philippines

Second Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-sixth

[REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7691]

AN ACT EXPANDING THE JURISDICTION OF THE METROPOLITAN TRIAL COURTS,

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress

SEC. 2. Section 32 of the same law is hereby amended to read as follows:

SEC. 3. Section 33 of the same law is hereby amended to read as follows:

SEC 4. Section 34 of the same law is hereby amended to read as follows:

“SEC. 34. Delegated Jurisdiction in Cadastral and Land Registration Cases. –

(Sgd.) EDGARDO J. ANGARA

(Sgd.) EDGARDO E. TUMANGAN

Approved: 25 MARCH 1994

(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS

Source: Presidential Management Staff

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