Court of Appeals of the Philippines

History

Organized on February 1, 1936, the Court of Appeals was initially composed of Justice Pedro Concepcion, as the first presiding judge, and ten appellate judges appointed by the president of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission on Appointments of the National Assembly. It had exclusive appellate jurisdiction of all cases not falling under the original and exclusive appellate jurisdiction of the seven-man Supreme Court. Its decisions in those cases were final, except when the Supreme Court upon petition for certiorari on questions of law required that the case be certified to it for review. It also had original jurisdiction to issue writs of mandamus, prohibition, injunction, certiorari, habeas corpus and all other auxiliary writs in aid of its appellate jurisdiction. The court then sat either en banc or in two divisions, one of six and another of five judges. The appellate judges had the same qualifications as those provided by the Constitution for Supreme Court justices.

In March 1938, the appellate judges were named justices and their number increased from eleven to fifteen, with three divisions of five under Commonwealth Act No. 259. On December 24, 1941, the membership of the court was further increased to nineteen justices under Executive Order No. 395.

The court functioned during the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1944. However, in March 1945, due to abnormal conditions at the time, the court was abolished by President Sergio Osmeña through Executive Order No. 37. The end of World War II restored the democratic processes in the country. On October 4, 1946, Republic Act No. 52 was passed, recreating the Court of Appeals, with a presiding justice and fourteen associate justices. The court was composed of five divisions of three justices each.

On August 23, 1956, the membership of the court was expanded to eighteen justices per Republic Act No. 1605. The number was hiked to twenty-four justices as decreed by Republic Act No. 5204 approved on June 15, 1968. Ten years later, the unabated swelling of the court's dockets called for a much bigger court of forty-five justices under Presidential Decree No. 1482 of June 10, 1978. Then came the judiciary reorganization on January 17, 1983, through Executive Order No. 864 of President Ferdinand Marcos. The court was renamed the Intermediate Appellate Court, and its membership was enlarged to fifty-one justices. However, only thirty-seven justices were appointed to this court.

On July 28, 1986, President Corazon Aquino issued Executive Order No. 33, which restored the original name of the appellate court to the Court of Appeals and its presiding justice and fifty associate justices.

On February 23, 1995, Republic Act No. 7902 was passed, which expanded the jurisdiction of the court effective March 18, 1995. On December 30, 1996, Republic Act No. 8246 created six more divisions in the court, thereby increasing its membership from fifty-one to sixty-nine justices. These additional divisions—three for the Visayas and three for Mindanao—paved the way for the appellate court's regionalization. In the Visayas, the court sits in Cebu City, while Cagayan de Oro is home to the court for Mindanao.

On August 18, 2007, the then-president of the Cebu City Chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Briccio Joseph Boholst, opposed the abolition of the court in Cebu City, as he claimed that it would cause inconvenience for both litigants and lawyers. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruben Reyes was tasked to investigate and submit his recommendations to the High Tribunal regarding the alleged massive graft and corruption of justices, especially in the issuance of temporary restraining orders.

On February 1, 2018, the court celebrated its 82nd anniversary.

Incumbent justices

The Court of Appeals consists of a presiding justice and sixty-eight associate justices. Among the current members of the court, Fernanda Lampas-Peralta is the longest-serving associate justice, with a tenure of days () as of ; the most recent justice to enter the court are Marietta S. Brawner-Cualing, Mary Josephine P. Lazaro, Ferdinand C. Baylon and Emilio Rodolfo Y. Legaspi III on August 29, 2024.

Number of incumbent justices by 1 (66 to 65) after the Compulsory retirement of Associate Justice Jacinto Fajardo Jr. from the Bench on March 8, 2024.

Divisions

On ,Fernanda Lampas-Peralta, the Presiding Justice, Issued Office Order 689-25-FLP, which was in view of the recent appointments of Justice Robert Victor Consungji Marcon and Snooky Maria Ana Bareno-Sagayo on , Taking into consideration the order if seniority under Rule 1 of the 2009 Internal Rules of the Court of Appeals, the Statements of Preference and exigency of the service, the new Composition of the Divisions **effective ** shall be as follows.

Demographics

By appointing president

By Gender

By tenure

Former justices

Court of Appeals presiding justices of the Philippines

File:Courtappealsjf.JPG|Back view of the Court File:Courtappeals33jf.JPG|Old and new building File:Courtappeals44jf.JPG|New (Annex) building File:Lanaval.JPG|Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila at the 76th Anniversary of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines

References

;Sources

• History of the Court of Appeals

References

1. (2013). "Mga Pangalan ng Tanggapan ng Pamahalaan sa Filipino".
2. Rey, Aika. (January 8, 2020). "Where Will the Money Go?". [[Rappler]].
3. "Direktoryo ng mga Ahensiya at Opisyal ng Pamahalaan ng Pilipinas". Department of Budget and Management.
4. Rosete, Pablo R.. (October 31, 1983). "Mga Hatol ng Hukuman ng Paghahabol". [[Official Gazette (Philippines).
5. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140317062724/http://www.uberdigests.info/2011/11/teresita-fabian-vs-honorable-aniano-desierto-nestor-agustin/ Fabian v. Desierto, 295 SCRA 470]
6. St. Martin Funeral Homes v. National Labor Relations Commission, 295 SCRA 414)
7. [http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV20070819100756.html Manila Bulletin, IBP Cebu City opposes abolition of CA Cebu] {{dead link. (January 2017)
8. [http://mb.com.ph/articles/301744/the-court-appeals-diamond-anniversary-conquering-new-heights-dynamic-icon-justice mb.com.ph, Court of Appeals 75th Anniversary] {{webarchive. link. (July 21, 2011)
9. "Article VIII, Sec. 11 of the Constitution of the Philippines".