Branches of Government

(a)  

is the “court of last

resort” at the top of

the judicial hierarchy

which determines

with finality what the

law is and should be

(a)  

was established in

1901 after Second

Philippine

Commission passed

Act No. 136

(a)  

composed of a

Chief Justice and

fourteen

Associate

Justices.

(a)  

 is the body that

generally has exclusive

appellate jurisdiction

over the decisions of

the RTC’s and other

quasi-judicial agencies.

 composed of one

presiding justice and 68

associate justices

 The Court of Appeals

was established on

February 1, 1936 by

virtue of

Commonwealth Act

No. 3 and is

considered as the

second highest

tribunal in the

country.

● It exercise appellate

jurisdiction on all cases

not falling within the

original and exclusive

jurisdiction of the

Supreme Court. Its

decisions are final

except when appealed

to the Supreme Court

on questions of law.

(a)  

This special court

established under

Presidential Decree No.

1606. It’s rank equivalent to

the Court of Appeals.

 Composed of presiding

justice and two associate

justuces.

 It is tasked to handle

Criminal Cases involving

graft and corruption and

other offenses

committed by public

officers and employees

in connection with the

performance of their

function or the so called

service-connected

duties.

 Its jurisdiction was to

determined on the basis

of the penalty imposable

on the offense charged.

Thereafter, it was

amended such that

regardless of the penalty,

so long as the offense

charged was committed

by a public officer.

(a)  

was created on June 16,

1954, through the

enactment of Republic Act

No. 1125 (R.A. 1125).

 an appellate Court, equal in

rank to the Court of Appeals.

 which act only on

protests of private

persons adversely

affected by the tax

and customs laws.

 composed of one (1)

Presiding Justice and

eight (8) Associate

Justices.

(a)  

 “trial court of general

jurisdiction,” a court

empowered to try all

kinds of case, without

monetary or subject

matter limitation.

 13 judicial regions in

the country

 formerly called as the

Court of First

Instance .

 If a civil claim or

criminal prosecution

involves an amount if

money or a potential

criminal sentence,

beyond the

jurisdictions of the

first level courts.

(a)  

under the Muslim Code

with jurisdiction over

Muslim Filipinos in

Mindanao. On February

4, 1977, President

Marcos promulgated PD

No. 1083, which is the

Code of Muslim

Personal Laws of the

Philippines.

 The Shari’a District

Courts are equivalent

to the Regional Trial

Courts in rank, which

were established in

certain provinces in

Mindanao where the

Muslim Code on

Personal Laws is

being enforced.

 the Shari’a Circuit

Courts are the

counterpart of the

Municipal Circuit Trial

Courts established in

certain

municipalities in

Minda

(a)  

Special Courts

(a)  

Quasi-Judicial Court

(a)  

–power and

authority conferred upon

a superior court to

rehear and determine

causes which have been

tried in inferior courts.

(a)  

exercised by

different courts at the same

time over the same subject

matter and within the same

territory, and wherein litigants

may, in the first instance,

resort to one of them

indifferently but taking into

consideration the doctrine of

judicial hierarchy

(a)  

exercised within the limits of

the place where the court is

located

(a)  

exercised beyond the confines

of the place where the court is

located.

(a)