Designation of Special Courts to Take Cognizance of Cases Involving Admiralty and Maritime Laws

May 3, 2005

OCA CIRCULAR NO. 50-05

 

For the information and guidance of all concerned, quoted hereunder is the pertinent portion of the Court En Banc resolution dated 12 April 2005 in Administrative Matter No. 05-4-05-SC Re: Request for the Designation of Special Courts to Take Cognizance of Cases Involving Admiralty and Maritime Laws, to wit:

"A.M. No. 05-4-05-SC. — Re: Request for the Designation of Special Courts to Take Cognizance of Cases Involving Admiralty and Maritime Laws. — The Court Resolved, upon the recommendation of the Office of the Court Administrator, to

(a) DENY the request of the Maritime Law Association of the Philippines for the designation of special courts in the Regional Trial Courts in the Cities of Manila, Davao and Cebu to exclusively take cognizance of cases involving admiralty and maritime laws; and

(b) DESIGNATE instead the Special Courts for Commercial Cases to try and decide cases involving admiralty and maritime laws. EHSCcT

In this connection and effective immediately, all cases involving admiralty and maritime laws from the ordinary courts shall be transferred to the designated Special Commercial Courts except those which have already undergone the pre-trial stage in civil cases and arraignment stage in criminal cases, in which case the same shall be retained by the court previously assigned to try them. The unloaded cases transferred to the Special Commercial Courts shall be considered as raffled to them to maintain an equal distribution of cases. "

For strict compliance.

(SGD.) PRESBITERO J. VELASCO, JR.Court Administrator