OCA CIRCULAR NO. 21-2003, February 03, 2003

Sec. 20 (a) of Rule 141 of the Revised Rules of Court provides for
the collection of appropriate docket fees in estafa cases, thus:

SEC. 20. Other fees.— The following fees shall be collected by
the clerks of Regional Trial Courts or courts of the first level, as the
case may be:

(a) In estafa cases where the offended party fails to
manifest within fifteen (15) days following the filing of the
information that the civil liability arising from the crime has been or
would be separately prosecuted:

Less than P100,000.00 ————————————P 500.00
P100,000.00 or more but
less than P150,000.00 ————————————-800.00
3. P150,000.00 or more but
less than P200,000.00 ————————————-1,000.00
4. P200,000.00 or more but
less than P250,000.00————————————- 1,500.00
5. P250,000.00 vr more but
less than P300,000.00————————————- 1,750.00
6. P300.000.00 or more but
less than P350,000.00 ————————————-2,000.00
1 7. P350,000.00 or more but
no more than P400,000.00——————————– 2,250.00
8. For each P1,000.00 in
excess of P400,000.00 —————————————-10.00

To enable the Clerk of Court to collect the above-mentioned fees, the following guidelines shall be observed, thus:;

1. In multiple sala stations, the Branch Clerk of Court must inform
   the Clerk of Court within fifteen (15) days from receipt of the records
   of the case whether or not the c ivil aspect of the e stafa case has
   been instituted in the criminal case.

2. The Clerk of Court must send a notice, together with the
   assessment of the fees to be paid, to the private complainant’s within
   five (5) days from receipt of t he information from t he B ranch Clerk
   of Court of the institution of the civil aspect in the criminal
   case, requiring the private complainant/s to pay the appropriate docket
   fees within three (3) days from receipt of notice.

3. The Clerk of Court must immediately inform the Branch Clerk of
   Court of the fact of payment or non-payment, as the case may be, of the
   appropriate docket fees.

4. Should the private complainant/s fail to pay the appropriate
   docket fees within the given period, the matter must be submitted to the
   court concerned for its consideration and appropriate action.

5. In single sala stations, the Clerk of Court must immediately
   collect the appropriate docket fees upon submission of the manifestation
   by the private complainant/s of the institution of the civil aspect of
   the estafa case in the criminal case.

   For strict compliance.

February 03 ,2003.

	PRESBITERO J. VELASCO, JR.
	Court Administrator