♦
NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
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SENATE 
S No. 1186
•22 AUG 16 P2 35
RECEIVED BY
Introduced By Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" T. Go
AN ACT
CREATING ADDITIONAL DIVISIONS IN THE COURT OF APPEALS. 
INCREASING THE NUMBER OF COURT OF APPEALS JUSTICES FROM SIXTY- 
NINE (69) TO SEVENTY-EIGHT (78). AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE BATAS 
PAMBANSA BILANG 129. AS AMENDED OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 
JUDICIARY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1980. APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR. AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Every Filipino, when accused, has the right to a speedy trial and to a speedy 
disposition of a case against him. This is to prevent the oppression of the citizen by 
holding criminal prosecution suspended over him for an indefinite period of time, and to 
avoid delays in the administration of justice. The right to a speedy trial and a speedy 
disposition of a case is infringed when the proceeding is attended by vexatious, 
capricious and oppressive delays.
In order to attain a just, peaceful and progressive society, our country must have 
a strong and efficient Judiciary which ensures the protection and enforcement of 
fundamental rights. Thus, the Judiciary must remain steadfast if it is to fulfill its role in 
the administration of justice pursuant to the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
However, the fulfilment of this mandate is jeopardized by the sheer number of 
cases being handled by the Judiciary, resulting to clogged dockets. These problems
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cause inevitable delays in deciding and resolving cases, diluting the public's confidence 
and trust in the country's justice system. In this regard, the Court of Appeals, as the 
country's foremost appellate court, has been instituting internal measures to alleviate 
the problem.
In light of these circumstances, the Legislative must not leave it to the Judiciary 
to fix the problem, as it takes a whole-of-government effort to properly address it. In 
this regard, this proposed measure seeks to add three additional divisions of the Court 
of Appeals, each with three members. These additional members and divisions will 
enable the Court of Appeals to handle its case load in a more efficient manner.
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought
SENATOR CHRISTOPHER L RENCE "BONG" T. GO


of the # .urct.Ti'^
NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE 
SNo.1 1 RR
•22 AUG 16 P2 35
RiiCEiVfcD BV;
Introduced By Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" T. Go
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AN ACT
CREATING ADDITIONAL DIVISIONS IN THE COURT OF APPEALS, 
INCREASING THE NUMBER OF COURT OF APPEALS JUSTICES FROM SIXTY- 
NINE (69) TO SEVENTY-EIGHT (78). AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE BATAS 
PAMBANSA BILANG 129, AS AMENDED OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 
JUDICIARY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1980, APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
Section 1. Section 3, Chapter 1 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- 
seven (77) 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 shall 
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 
was 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 1 of Batas Pambansa Bilang 129, as amended, is 
hereby further amended to read as follows:


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"Sec. 4. Exercise of Powers and Functions. - The Court of 
Appeals shall exercise its powers, functions, and duties through 
twenty-six (26) divisions each composed of three (3) members.
The Court may sit en banc for the purpose of exercising 
administrative, ceremonial, or other non-adjudicatory functions."
Sec. 3. Section 10, Chapter 1 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 Third (3rd) to the Fifth 
(5th) Judicial Regions;
"The Eighteenth (18th), Nineteenth (19tn), and Twentieth 
(20tn) Divisions shall be stationed in the City of Cebu for cases
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coming from the Sixth (6tn), Seventh (7tn), and Eighth (8th) judicial 
Regions:
"The Twenty-first (21st), Twenty-second (22nd), and Twenty
third (23rd) Divisions shall be stationed in the City of Cagayan de
Oro for cases coming from the Ninth (9 ) and Tenth (10 ) judicial 
Regions:
"The Twenty-fourth (24th) Division shall be stationed in the 
City of Vigan for cases coming from the First (1st) and Second (2nd) 
judicial Regions: and
"The Twenty-fifth (25th) and Twenty-sixth (26th) Divisions 
shall be stationed in the City of Davao for cases coming from the 
Eleventh (11th) and Twelfth (12th) judicial Regions.
"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.


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"Trials or hearings in the Court of Appeals must be 
continuous and must be completed within three (3) months unless 
extended by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court."
Sec. 4. Funding. - The amounts 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 resolution, shall be referred to the proper division of the Court 
of Appeals.
Sec. 6. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to allow the transfer, except in 
cases of temporary assignment, of any member of the Court of Appeals to any place or 
station without such member's written consent, or to undermine the security of tenure 
of its members as provided in the Constitution, or alter the seniority in the Court of 
Appeals 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 thereof not affected thereby 
shall remain in full force and effect.
Sec. 8. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, letters of instruction, 
executive orders, rules, or 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,