AN ACT CREATING TWO (2) ADDITIONAL BRANCHES OF THE MUNICIPAL TRIAL COURT IN CITIES AND TWO (2) ADDITIONAL BRANCHES OF THE REGIONAL TRIAL COURT TO BE STATIONED IN THE CITY OF BAGUIO, IN THE FIRST JUDICIAL REGION, FURTHER AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE BATAS PAMBANSA BLG. 129, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS “THE JUDICIARY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1980”, AS AMENDED, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Sixteenth Congress
Third Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-seventh day of July, two thousand fifteen.

REPUBLIC ACT No. 10696

AN ACT CREATING TWO (2) ADDITIONAL BRANCHES OF THE MUNICIPAL TRIAL COURT IN CITIES AND TWO (2) ADDITIONAL BRANCHES OF THE REGIONAL TRIAL COURT TO BE STATIONED IN THE CITY OF BAGUIO, IN THE FIRST JUDICIAL REGION, FURTHER AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE BATAS PAMBANSA BLG. 129, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS “THE JUDICIARY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1980”, AS AMENDED, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippine Congress Assembled:

SECTION 1. Two (2) additional branches of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities and two (2) additional branches of the Regional Trial Court to be stationed in the City of Baguio are hereby created in the First Judicial Region.

SECTION 2. The Supreme Court shall assign the respective branch numbers for the newly created branches in the First Judicial Region.

SECTION 3. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, in coordination with the Secretary of the Department of Justice, shall immediately include in the Court’s program the operationalization of the two (2) additional branches of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities and two (2) additional branches of the Regional Trial Court in the City of Baguio, the funding of which shall be included in the Annual General Appropriations Act. The funds necessary for the operation of the courts herein created shall be appropriated and released only upon the actual organization of the courts and the appointment of its personnel.

SECTION 4. Sections 14(a) and 29 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, otherwise known as “The Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980”, as amended, and all other laws, executive orders, and rules and regulations which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby amended, repealed, or modified accordingly.

SECTION 5. Tins Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

This Act which originated in the House of Representatives was passed by the House of Representatives on June 9, 2014, amended by the Senate on July 28, 2015, and which amendments were concurred in by the House of Representatives on September 9, 2015.

Approved: NOV 11 2015

(Sgd.) BENIGNO S. AQUINO III
President of the Philippines