Add’l courts designated by SC to assist Taguig City Courts

The Supreme Court has designated additional courts to Taguig City to assist in the transfer of 10 barangays from Makati City that were declared to be part of Taguig City.

The designation of seven Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) and four Metropolitan Trial Courts (MeTCs) was done pending the creation of additional Taguig City courts.

In its Resolution A.M. No. 23-10-01-SC dated 5 December 2023, the Court designated the following RTCs as Assisting Courts:

Branch 136, Judge Rico Sebastian D. Liwanag (Family Court)
Branch 144, Judge Liza Marie R. Picardal-Tecson (Family Court)
Branch 147, Judge Karla Regina D. Valera-Chua (Special Commercial Court)
Branch 63, Judge Jacob M. Montesa II (Drugs Court)
Branch 145, Judge Karen A. Matti-Sy
Branch 65, Judge Veronica B. Tongio-Igot (Drugs Court); and
Branch 134, Judge Redentor Dela Cruz Cardenas

The following MeTCs were similarly designated:

Branch 61, Judge Xavier Paolo R. Del Castillo
Branch 66, Judge Niño Delvin E. Embuscado
Branch 128, Judge Maureen L. Rubio Marquez; and
Branch 129, Judge Alexius P. Tang

Effective 1 January 2024, the Offices of the Clerk of Court (OCCs) of the RTCs and MeTCs shall require parties filing civil and criminal cases before the Taguig City Courts to provide their landline or mobile phone numbers and email addresses, which shall form part of the official records of the cases.

Such cases shall then be raffled to the station under existing rules. The Clerks of Court of the OCCs shall immediately forward the case records to the branches to which the cases have been raffled for recording.

The case records shall then be transmitted back to the OCCs, and then forwarded to the OCCs of Makati City, for distribution to the Assisting Courts.

In urgent cases that require immediate action, the Executive Judge of the Taguig City court where the case was filed may act on urgent temporary reliefs prayed for as provided under the Rules of Court, before the case is forwarded to the Makati City court to which it has been assigned.

Also, the caption of the newly filed cases must include the identities of both the Taguig City and Makati City Courts.

Any motion for reconsideration shall be filed with the Makati City court within the time allowed by the Rules of Court, while appeals from the judgment or final order of the Makati City MeTC shall be taken to the Taguig City RTC.

On the other hand, if no appeal or motion for reconsideration is timely filed, the case records shall be forwarded from the branch of the Makati City court to its OCC, then transmitted to the Taguig City Court for execution.

The judgment or final order shall then be entered by the Clerk of Court of the Taguig City court in its book of entries of judgment.

For civil actions in violation of Batas Pambansa Blg. 22 decided by the Makati City court, the latter shall execute the judgment. The criminal action, which may be provisionally dismissed or archived, shall also be heard by the same Makati City court, upon revival within the period of this interim program.

Records of provisionally dismissed or archived cases by the Makati City courts shall remain with them until the termination of this interim program when the records of the cases shall be transmitted back to the Taguig City courts.