Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Diliman, Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 288

Introduced by ATTY. MAGTANGGOL T. GUNIGUNDO I

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill seeks to establish six (6) additional branches of the Metropolitan
Trial Court and two (2) additional Regional Trial Courts in the City of Valenzuela,
hereby amending for the purpose Batas Pambansa Bilang 129, otherwise known as
the "Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980”, as amended.

This re-filed bill that is originally HB 4353 that we filed in the 14" Congress
that was extensively deliberated by the Committees on Justice and Appropriations
and was approved on Third and Final Reading by the House of Representatives but
was stalled at the Senate for lack of material time.

The City of Valenzuela for over 3 decades now, has only two (2) branches
of Metropolitan Trial Court which are now all saddled with thousands of pending
cases. Initially, there were only three (3) RFC branches. These branches were
established when Valenzuela was still a municipality.

Now, with a booming population of around 500 thousand persons and wit:
an annual budget of over P1 Billion, these branches are completely inadequate to
act with dispatch on the steadily increasing number of criminal and civil cases filed
daily. Each branch hears about 40 to 50 cases a day. Only about 5 cases can
actually be heard on that calendar day. The wheels of justice should not be
allowed to continue to grind at such a snail’s pace in the dispensation of justice in
the country. Courts of justice are indispensable components in the maintenance
and administration of justice, which principally deal with the majesty of the law as
@ means to uphold the rights guaranteed by our Constitution.

Although two (2) RTC branches are presently loaned by the Supreme Court
to Valenzuela City to help declog the stockpiled cases, these are still not enough to
meet the objectives of dispensation of justice.

Six (6) additional MTC branches and two (2) additional RTC branches in the
City of Vaienzuela shall adequately address the problem.

In view of the foregoing, immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

ATTY. MAGTANGG' UNIGUNDO I


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Diliman, Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO.___183__

Introduced by ATTY. MAGTANGGOL T. GUNIGUNDO I

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING SIX (6) ADDITIONAL BRACHES OF THE METROPOLITAN
TRIAL COURT AND TWO (2) ADDITIONAL BRACHES OF THE REGIONAL
TRIAL COURT IN VALENZUELA CITY, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE
BATAS PAMBANSA BILANG 129 OR THE JUDICIARY REORGANIZATION
ACT OF 1980, AS AMENDED

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

SECTION 1. Section 14 of Batas Pambansa Bilang Isang Daan at
Dalawampu't Siyam, otherwise known as the Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980,
as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows:

“Sec. 14 Regional Trial Courts.
x x x
Par. (d) [Two hundred seventy six] Two hundred eighty Regional
Trial Judges shall be commissioned for the National Capital Region.
There shall be:
x x Xx
[Three] Five branches for Valenzuela City with seats thereat.”
x x x
SECTION 2. Section 27 of Batas Pambansa Bilang Isang Daan at
Dalawampu't Siyam, otherwise known as the Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980,
as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows:
“Sec. 27. Metropolitan Trial Court of the National Capital Region.
-There shall be a Metropolitan Trial Court in the National Capital
Region, to be known as the Metropolitan Trial Court of Metro
Manila, which shall be composed of [eighty two (82)] EIGHTY
EIGHT (88) branches. There shall be:

x x x

[TWO] EIGHT (Branches LXXXI, [and] LXXXII, LOOTIT, LOXIV,
DOXV, DOXVI, LOXVII, and LXXXVIII) for Valenzuela City with seats
thereat.”


x x x

SECTION 3. The Supreme Court shall constitute the additional (6)
branches of the Metropolitan Trial Court and two (2) additional branches of the
Regional Trial Court hereby created in Valenzuela City and assign the
corresponding branch numbers in accordance with this Act.

SECTION 4. The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act
for the constitution and continuous operation of the six (6) additional Metropolitan
Trial Court branches and two (2) additional branches of the Regional Trial Court
hereby created as determined by the Supreme Court shall be included in the
annual General Appropriation Act of the year following its enactment into law.

SECTION 5. REPEALING CLAUSE.- All laws, decrees, orders, rules and
regulations, other issuances, or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of
this Acts are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 6. EFFECTIVITY.- This act shall take effect fifteen (15) days
after its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2)
newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,