Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

House pnt no,_ 8749

Introduced by Representative CELSO L. LOBREGAT

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill seeks to create four (4) additional Regional Trial Court branches
for Zamboanga City, amending for the purpose Republic Act No. 10301
approved into law on November 15, 2012 which further amended Section 14,
Paragraph (J) of Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, otherwise known as the Judiciary
Reorganization Act of 1980.

When Batas Pambansa Blg. 129 was enacted by Congress, the number of
Regional trial Courts and Municipal Trial Courts in Zamboanga City has been
pegged at six (6) and four (4) branches, respectively. In 1980, the population of
Zamboanga City was less than 200,000.

On November 15, 2012 or thirty two (32) years after, Republic Act No.
10301 was enacted increasing by four (4) the number of RTCs in Zamboanga
City. However, despite the big volume of the number of cases pending, the
additional four (4) courts are not yet totally organized and operational.

‘The latest survey by the National Census and Statistics Office shows that
the population of Zamboanga City has increased to 860,000. Thus, due to the
increase of population coupled with the increase in the volume of cases filed,
the present court dockets have been clogged and this has resulted in the
unreasonable delay in the resolution of cases to the prejudice of the litigants.

Currently, the existing six (6) Regional Trial Courts, with corresponding
branches number, the following are the latest volume of cases, raffled and
pending to these courts, as follows:

RTC Branch 15 -
RTC Branch 16 -
RTC Branch 17 =:

Total: 6,231


With a total of 6,231 cases, even if the four (4) additional Regional Trial
Courts will be operational, the average case load would be 623 cases. As stated
by Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco, the only way to expedite case
ing and adjudication is to give each judge a manageable load of 300

Thus, in consonance with the provision of Section 16 Article III of the
1987 Constitution which provides that, “Al persons shall have the right to a
speedy disposition of their cases before all judicial, quasi-judicial, or
administrative bodies’, the proposed measure will address the need to
decongest the court dockets and promote speedy disposition of cases filed in the
existing courts of Zamboanga City.

‘Therefore, in the interest of timely and effective administration of justice,
approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

Ga.
CELSO L. LOBREGAT

Representative
Zamboanga City, 1* District


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

8749

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Representative CELSO L. LOBREGAT

AN ACT
CREATING FOUR (4) ADDITIONAL BRANCHES OF THE REGIONAL TRIAL
COURT IN THE NINTH JUDICIAL REGION TO BE STATIONED AT
ZAMBOANGA CITY, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT 10301
‘WHICH CREATED FOUR (4) ADDITIONAL BRANCHES OF THE REGIONAL
‘TRIAL COURT IN ZAMBOANGA CITY, WHICH FURTHER AMENDED BATAS
PAMBANSA BLG. 129, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS “THE JUDICIARY
REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1980”, AS AMENDED, AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR

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

SECTION 1. Four (4) additional branches of the Regional Trial Court to
be stationed at Zamboanga city are hereby created in the Ninth Judicial Region.

‘The Supreme Court shall assign the branch number of the newly-created
branches of the Regional Trial court in the Ninth Judicial Region.

SECTION 2. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, in coordination
with the Secretary of the Department of Justice, shall immediately include in
the Court’s program the operationalization of the four (4) additional branches of
the Regional trial court to be stationed at Zamboanga City, the funding of whic
shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. The funds
necessary for the operation of the Courts herein created shall be appropriated
and released only upon the actual organization of the Courts and the
appointment of its personnel.

SECTION 3. All laws, rules and regulations which are inconsistent with
this Act are hereby amended, repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 4. This A
publication in the Offi
circulation.

shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete
1 Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general

Approved,