SC CIRCULAR NO. 21-99, April 15, 1999

15 April 1999

The provisions of Section 5 of Republic Act No. 7691 prescribe
that fAfter five years (5) from the effectivity of this Act, the jurisdictional
imounts mentioned in Sec. 19 (3), ^[1]
(4),^[2] and (8),^[3] and Sec. 33(1)^[4] of Batas Pambansa Big. 129 as amended by
this Act, shall be adjusted to Two hundred thousand pesos (£200,000.00). Five
(5) years thereafter, such jurisdictional lamounts shall be adjusted further to
Three hundred thousand pesos (P300,000.00): Provided, However, That in
the case of Metro Manila, the ibovementioned jurisdictional amounts shall be
adjusted after five (5) years from the effectivity of this Act to Four hundred
thousand pesos (P400,000.00).”

Section 8 of the same law states that “This Act shall take
effect fifteen |(15) days following its publication in the Official
Gazette or in two (2) lational newspapers of general circulation.”

Republic Act No. 7691 was published simultaneously in the 30
March 1994 issues of the Philippine Journal and Malaya. The
law took effect on 15 ,pril 1994.

Considering the provisions of Section 31,^[5] Chapter 8, Book I of the 1987
L.dministrative Code, Section 5 of R.A. No. 7691 took effect on 20 March [999.

For information and guidance.

^[1] 1
Under Section 19 (3) of R.A. No. 7691, the Regional Trial Courts shall exercise
original jurisdiction “In all actions in admiralty and maritime jurisdiction
where the land or claim exceeds One hundred thousand pesos (P 100,000.00) or in
Metro Manila, where |h demand or claim exceeds Two hundred thousand pesos
(P200,000.00).”

^[2] Under Section 19 (4)
of R.A. No. 7691, the Regional Trial Courts shall exercise [lusive original
jurisdiction “In all matters of probate, both testate and intestate, where the
gross, lie of the estate exceeds One hundred thousand pesos (P 100,000.00) or,
in probate matters in Itro Manila, where such gross value exceeds Two hundred
thousand pesos (P 200,000.00).”

^[3] Under Section 19 (8)
of R.A. No. 7691, the Regional Trial Courts shall exercise |lusive original
jurisdiction “In all other cases in which the demand, exclusive of interest,
lages of whatever kind, attorney’s fees, litigation expenses, and costs or the
value of the Iperty in controversy exceeds One hundred thousand pesos (P
100,000.00) or, in such other
ss in Metro Manila, where the demand, exclusive
of the abovementioned items, exceeds Two [idred thousand pesos (P
200,000.00).”

^[4] Under Section 33 (1)
of R.A. No. 7691, the Metropolitan Trial Courts, the Municipal Courts in Cities,
the Municipal Trial Courts and the Municipal Circuit Trial Courts shall exercise
“Exclusive original jurisdiction over civil actions and probate proceedings,
testate and intestate including the grant of provisional remedies in proper
cases, where the value of the personal property, estate or amount of the demand
does not exceed One hundred thousand pesos P100,000.00) or, in Metro Manila
where such personal property, estate, or amount of the demand does not exceed
Two Hundred thousand pesos (P 200,000.00), exclusive of interest, damages of
whatever kind, attorney’s fees, litigation expenses, and costs, the amount of
which must be specifically alleged: Provided, That interest, damages of whatever
kind, attorney’s fees, litigation expenses, and costs shall be included in the
determination of the filing fees: Provided, futther, That where there are
several claims or causes of action between the same or different parties
embodied in the same complaint, the amount of the demand shall be the totality
of the clams in all the causes of action, irrespective of whether the causes of
action arose out of the same or different transactions.

^[5] Section 31
prescribes that “‘Year’ shall be understood to be twelve calendar months;
‘month’ of thirty days, unless it refers to a specific calendar month in which
case it shall be iputed according to the number of days the specific month
contains; ‘day’ to a day of twenty Ir hours; and ‘night’ from sunset to
sunrise.”