Philippines · Courts
Court structure of Philippines
Every tier of the judiciary, what it hears, and where an appeal goes next.
The hierarchy, top to bottom
- Final appellate — Supreme Court
- Fifteen justices; sits en banc for constitutional questions and in divisions otherwise.
- Appellate — Court of Appeals
- Plus the Sandiganbayan for official corruption and the Court of Tax Appeals.
- First instance — Regional Trial Courts
- General jurisdiction, with designated family and commercial courts.
- Lower — Metropolitan and Municipal Trial Courts
- Smaller civil claims and less serious offences.
- Religious — Syariah District and Circuit Courts
- Muslim personal law; appeals to the Court of Appeals.
Every court in the hierarchy
- supremeManilaSupreme Court of the PhilippinesFinal appeals, expanded certiorari jurisdiction to determine grave abuse of discretion by any branch or instrumentality of government, rule-making power over pleading, practice and procedure, and administrative supervision of all courts.
- appellateManila, Cebu, Cagayan de OroCourt of Appeals of the PhilippinesAppeals from the Regional Trial Courts and from quasi-judicial agencies, and original jurisdiction over petitions for certiorari, prohibition, mandamus and the writs of amparo and habeas data.
- first-instanceJudicial regions nationwideRegional Trial CourtsFirst-instance civil claims above the statutory threshold, serious criminal offences, family and juvenile matters in designated Family Courts, and commercial and intellectual-property cases in designated Special Commercial Courts.
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