The Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) released OCA Circular No. 333-2024 quoting the Resolution dated 08 October 2024 (Resolution) of the Supreme Court En Banc in A.M. Nos. 03-03-03-SC and 24-04-18-SC designating additional special commercial courts (SCCs), cybercrime courts, and competition courts to exclusively hear, try, and decide the cases enumerated in the Resolution dated 09 November 2021 in Administrative Matter (A.M.) No. 03-03-03-SC from their respective stations, and revoking the designation of Branch 25, RTC Maasin City, Southern Leyte as an SCC, cybercrime court, and competition court.
OCA Memorandum dated 27 March 2024
Acting on OCA Memorandum dated 27 March 2024, the following courts were designated as additional SCCs, cybercrime courts, and competition courts to exclusively hear, try, and decide the cases enumerated in the Resolution dated 09 November 2021 in A.M. No. 03-03-03-SC from their respective stations:
Branch | Station | Judge |
Branch 45 | Regional Trial Court (RTC) Bacolod City, Negros Occidental | Hon. Phoebe A. Gargantiel-Balbin |
Branch 15 | RTC Davao City, Davao del Sur | Hon. Mario C. Duaves |
With regard to Branch 25, RTC Maasin City, Southern Leyte, its designation as an SCC, cybercrime court, and competition court, was revoked and it was ordered that the following commercial, cybercrime, and/or competition cases thereat be transferred to Branch 24, RTC Maasin City, Southern Leyte: all criminal cases that have not reached arraignment and civil cases that have not yet reached pre-trial.
All archived commercial, cybercrime, and/or competition cases at Branch 25, RTC Maasin City, Southern Leyte, however, were directed to be heard and tried therein, once revived.
OCA Memorandum dated 13 September 2024
Acting on the OCA Memorandum dated 13 September 2024, the following courts were designated as additional SCCs, cybercrime courts, and competition courts to exclusively hear, try, and decide the cases enumerated in the Resolution dated 09 November 2021 in A.M. No. 03-03-03-SC from their respective stations:
Region | Branch | Station |
III | Branch 102 | RTC Malolos, Bulacan |
III | Branch 105 | RTC Paniqui, Tarlac |
III | Branch 71 | RTC Iba, Zambales |
IV | Branch 28 | RTC Sta. Cruz, Laguna |
IV | Branch 61 | RTC Gumaca, Quezon |
VI | Branch 38 | RTC Iloilo City, Iloilo |
VII | Branch 12 | RTC Cebu City, Cebu |
X | Branch 41 | RTC Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental |
XI | Branch 46 | RTC Bislig City, Surigao del Sur |
Branch 209, RTC Mandaluyong City was designated as an additional SCC, cybercrime court, and competition court to replace Branch 278, RTC Mandaluyong City.
Consequently, the Resolution dated 23 November 2021 in A.M. No. 21-10-57 (Re: Delineation of Territorial Jurisdictions of Special Commercial Courts for the First to the Twelfth Judicial Regions) with respect to the territorial jurisdiction of the above-designated SCCs was amended accordingly.
Further, it was directed that all archived commercial, cybercrime and/or competition cases were to be retained in the branches where they are pending and be heard and tried thereat once revived, and that the designated SCC be included in the raffle of regular cases, modifying Resolution dated 02 November 2021.
Finally, with respect to the above-designated courts, the Resolution modified the ratio of distribution of regular cases in the respective stations to 2:1, meaning that for every two regular cases raffled to regular courts, one regular case shall be raffled to the commercial courts, in addition to the SCC cases raffled/assigned to them.
OCA Memorandum dated 02 October 2024
Finally, acting on OCA Memorandum dated 02 October 2024, the following courts were designated as additional SCCs, cybercrime courts, and competition courts to exclusively hear, try, and decide the cases enumerated in the Resolution dated 09 November 2021 in A.M. No. 03-03-03-SC:
Region | Branch | Station |
National Capital Judicial Region (“NCJR”) | Branch 28 | RTC Manila |
NCJR | Branch 200 | RTC Las Piñas City |
NCJR | Branch 264 | RTC Pasig City |
NCJR | Branch 70 | RTC Taguig City |
NCJR | Branch 294 | RTC Parañaque City |
IV | Branch 23 | RTC Trece Martires City, Cavite |
It was also directed that all archived commercial, cybercrime and/or competition cases were to be retained in the branches where they are pending and be heard and tried thereat once revived.
Common to all above-enumerated newly-designated SCCs, cybercrime courts, and competition courts, the Resolution directed that all newly-filed commercial, cybercrime, and/or competition cases in the stations be raffled equally among them; that the guidelines set forth in Resolution dated 09 November 2021 (OCA Circular No. 60-2022) be observed insofar as they are applicable; and that the concerned executive judges ensure that an equitable distribution of cases is implemented.
A copy of OCA Circular No. 333-2024 may be accessed here.