Republic of the Philippines hit
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES =e
Constitution Hills, Quezon City Ve

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HouseBLLNo. 1644

Introduced by Honorable Nicasio M. Aliping, Jr.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

In the Court of Appeals, appealed cases and original actions coming from the First to
the Fifth Judicial Regions and the National Capital Region are heard and decided by the first
seventeen divisions. Sessions are held in the City of Manila where the divisions are
permanently stationed.

This setup places litigants from northern Luzon at a disadvantage in terms of distance
and ease of access compared to litigants from the National Capital Region and from the
nearby regions in central and southern Luzon. It is inconvenient, more expensive and less
expedient for litigants from up north in Luzon to file or follow-up their appeals or original
actions down south in Manila

Summer sessions are however held by the Court of Appeals in the City of Baguio
Sessions are held in Baguio City by at least one division of the Court for a week every month
and by not more than seven divisions on rotation basis during the summer months, Even then,
the sessions in Baguio City are held only periodically.

This bill seeks to create a division in the Court of Appeals with permanent station in
Baguio City to bring the Court closer to and make it more accessible to litigants from
northern Luzon, particularly those from the First Judicial Region.

Approval of this bill is therefore recommended

NICA’ ES ING, JR-


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Constitution Hills, Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 1644

Introduced by Honorable Nicasio M. Aliping, Jr.

AN ACT

CREATING AN ADDITIONAL DIVISION IN THE COURT OF
APPEALS FOR CASES COMING FROM THE FIRST JUDICIAL
REGION, }NCREASING THE NUMBER OF COURT OF APPEALS
JUSTICES FROM SIXTY-NINE (69) TO SEVENTY-TWO (72),
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE BATAS PAMBANSA BLG. 129, AS
AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE JUCIARY
REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1980, APPROPRIATING FUNDS
‘THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacied by the Senate and House of Representative of the Philippines in
Congress assembled.

SECTION 1. Section 3, Chapter I of Batas Pambansa Bilang 129, as amended, is
hereby further amended to read, as follows:

“SEC. 3. Organization. — There is hereby created a Court of Appeals
which shall consist of a Presiding Justice and seventy-one (71) Associate
Justices who shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines, The
Presiding Justice shall be so designated in his appointment, and the Associate
Justices shail have precedence according to the dates of their respective
appointments, or when the appointments of two or more of them shall bear the
same date, according to the order in which their appointments were issued by
the President. Any member who is reappointed to the Court after rendering
service in any other position in the government shall retain the precedence to
which he entitled under his original appointment, and his service in the
Court shall, for all intents and purposes, be considered as continuous and
uninterrupted.”



SEC. 2. Section 4, Chapter I of Batas Pambansa Bilang 129, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read, as follows:

“SEC. 4. Exercise of Powers and Functions. ~ The Court of Appeals
shall exercise its powers, functions, and duties through twenty-four (24)
divisions, each composed of three (3) members. The Court may sit en bane for
the purpose of exercising administrative, ceremonial or other non-adjudicatory
functions.”

SEC. 3. Section 10, Chapter I of Batas Pambansa Bilang 129, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read, as follows:

“SEC. 10. Place of Holding Sessions. ~ The Court of Appeals shall
have its permanent stations as follows: The first seventeen (17) divisions shall
be stationed in the City of Manila for cases coming from the National
Capital Judicial Region and the Second, Third, Fourth and
Fifth Judicial Regions; the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Divisions
shall be in Cebu City for cases coming from the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth
Judicial Regions, the Twenty-first, Twenty-second and Twenty-third
Divisions shail be in Cagayan de Oro City for cases coming from the Ninth,
Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Judicial Regions; the Twenty-fourth
Division shall be in Baguio City for cases coming from the First
Judicial Region. Whenever demanded by public interest, or whenever
justified by an increase in case load, the Supreme Court, upon its own
initiative or upon recommendation of the Presiding Justice of the Court of
Appeals, may authorize any division of the Court to hold sessions
periodically, or for such periods and at such places as the Supreme Court may
determine, for the purpose of hearing and deciding cases. Trials or hearings in
the Court of Appeals must be continuous and must be completed within three
(3) months uniess extended by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.”

SEC. 4. The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be
included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law and
thereafter

SEC. 5. Upon the effectivity of this Act, all pending cases, except those which have
been submitted for resolutiot, shall be referred to the proper division of the Court of
Appeals

SEC. 6. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to alfow the transfer, except in cases of
temporary assignment, of any member of the Court of Appeals to any place or station without



his or her written consent, or to determine the security of tenure of its members as provided
in the Constitution, or alter the seniority in said Court in accordance with existing laws.

SEC. 7. Separability Clause. — If any portion or provision of this Act is declared
unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby shal! remain
in force and effect.

SEC. 8. Repealing Clause. ~ All laws, presidential decrees, letters of instruction,
executive orders, rules and regulations, or any part thereof inconsistent with the provisions of

this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 9, Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following its
publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation,

Approved,