SC CIRCULAR NO. 33-98, June 03, 1998

Section 32 of the Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980, as amended by
Republic Act No. 7691, provides, on the one hand, that the Metropolitan Trial
Courts, Municipal Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts in Cities and Municipal
Circuit Trial Courts shall exercise exclusive original jurisdiction over, among
others, “all offenses punishable with imprisonment not exceeding six (6) years
irrespective of the amount of fine, and regardless of other imposable accessory
or other penalties, including the civil liability arising from such offenses or
predicated thereon, irrespective of kind, nature, value or amount thereof
xxx.”

On the other hand, Section 5 of the Family Courts Act of 1997 provides that
the Family Courts shall have exclusive original jurisdiction to hear and
decide
the following cases:

“a) Criminal cases where one or more of the accused is below eighteen (18)
years of age but not less than nine (9) years of age, or where one or more of
the victims is a minor at the time of the commission of the offense: xxx

h) Cases against minors cognizable under the Dangerous Drugs Act, as amended;
[and]

j) Violations of Republic Act No. 7610, otherwise known as the ‘Special
Protection Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act,’
as amended by Republic Act No. 7658.”

To enable this Office to determine the present actual number of criminal
cases within the jurisdiction of the Family Courts filed with’and handled by the
first level courts, all judges of the Metropolitan Trial Courts, Municipal Trial
Courts, Municipal Trial Courts in Cities and Municipal Circuit Trial Courts are
hereby directed to cause (1) the taking of an inventory within ten (10) days
from receipt of a copy of this issuance of all criminal cases falling within
the,, jurisdiction of the Family Courts filed with their respective courts; and
(2) the preparation of the appropriate inventory list. The list shall indicate
the case number and the status of each case whether for pre-trial, trial or
submitted for decision. The list shall be submitted to the Court Management
Office (Attention! Js The Chief, Statistical Reports Division) of the Office of
the Court Administrator on or before Wednesday, 15 July 1998.

For strict compliance.