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COA has primary jurisdiction over private respondent’s money claims Petitioner is not estopped from raising the
issue of jurisdiction
The doctrine of primary jurisdiction holds that if a case is such that its determination requires the expertise,
specialized training and know ledge of the proper administrative bodies, relief must first be obtained in an
administrative proceeding before a remedy is supplied by the courts even if the matter may w ell be w ithin their
proper jurisdiction.22
It applies w here a claim is originally cognizable in the courts, and comes into play whenever enforcement of the
claim requires the resolution of issues w hich, under a regulatory scheme, have been placed within the special
competence of an administrative agency. In such a case, the court in w hich the claim is sought to be enforced may
suspend the judicial process pending referral of such issues to the
administrative body for its view or, if the parties would not be unfairly disadvantaged, dismiss the case without
prejudice.23
The objective of the doctrine of primary jurisdiction is to guide the court in determining w hether it should refrain
from exercising its jurisdiction until after an administrative agency has determined some question or some
aspect of some question arising in the proceeding before the court
COA JURISDICTION
Section 26. General jurisdiction. The authority and pow ers of the Commission shall extend to and comprehend
all matters relating to auditing procedures, systems and controls, the keeping of the general accounts of the
Government, the preservation of vouchers pertaining thereto for a period of ten years, the examination and
inspection of the books, records, and papers relating to those accounts; and the audit and settlement of the
accounts of all persons respecting funds or property received or held by them in an accountable capacity, as
w ell as the examination, audit, and settlement of all debts and claims of any sort due from or ow ing to the
Government or any of its subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities. The said jurisdiction extends to all
government-ow ned or controlled corporations, including their subsidiaries, and other self-governing boards,
commissions, or agencies of the Government, and as herein prescribed, including non-governmental entities
subsidized by the government, those funded by donations through the government, those required to pay levies
or government share, and those for w hich the government has put up a counterpart fund or those partly funded
by the government
FURTHERMORE
Rule II, Section 1 specifically enumerated those matters falling under COA’s exclusive jurisdiction, w hich include
"money claims due from or ow ing to any government agency." Rule VIII, Section 1 further provides: