TYPES OF JURISDICTION:

Types of jurisdiction:
1.) General Jurisdiction and Special or Limited Jurisdiction;
2.) Original Jurisdiction and Appellate Jurisdiction; and
3.) Exclusive Jurisdiction and Concurrent or Coordinate Jurisdiction;
1. GENERAL JURISDICTION and SPECIAL OR LIMITED JURISDICTION
a.) GENERAL JURISDICTION is the authority of the court to hear and determine all actions and suits,
whether civil, criminal, administrative, real, personal or mixed. It is very broad – to hear and try
practically all types of cases. (14 Am. Jur. 249; Hahn vs. Kelly, 34 Cal. 391)
b.) SPECIAL or LIMITED JURISDICTION is the authority of the court to hear and determine particular
cases only. Its power is limited. (14 Am. Jur. 249; Hahn vs. Kelly, 34 Cal. 391)
So, the court is authorized to hear and try certain specified cases. Limitado pa ang power
niya. And when you go over the Judiciary Act, studying the jurisdiction of the different courts,
in civil cases you will see that the jurisdiction of some courts like the RTC, masyadong far
ranging. It covers many things whereas the jurisdiction of the MTC, makipot. Very narrow bah
because it is a court of limited or special jurisdiction.
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2. ORIGINAL JURISDICTION and APPELLATE JURISDICTION
a.) ORIGINAL JURISDICTION is the power of the court to take cognizance of a case at its inception or
commencement. (Ballentine’s Law Dict., 2nd Ed., pp. 91 and 917) One can file the case there for
the first time.
b.) APPELLATE JURISDICTION is the power vested in a superior court to review and revise the
judicial
action of a lower court. (Ballentine’s Law Dict., 2nd Ed., pp. 91 and 917) If one court has the power
to correct the decision of a lower court, the power of this court is appellate. This is because it
commenced somewhere else and it is just reviewing the decision of the said lower court.
EXAMPLE: Maya Quitain will file a civil case in the RTC and that court will take cognizance
and try it. You are invoking the original jurisdiction of the RTC. After trial, Maya lost the case,
so Maya decided to appeal the decision of the RTC to the CA. The case is now there. It is now
in the CA and you are now invoking its appellate jurisdiction.
3. EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION and CONCURRENT OR COORDINATE JURISDICTION
a.) EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION is that possessed by a court to the exclusion of all others.
Q: Sugar JJ filed a collection case against John Vera, for an unpaid loan of P5,000. The
judiciary law says, if you file a civil case to collect an unpaid loan below P200,000 300k and
400k in MM, you should file it with the MTC. Can Sugar JJ file it in the RTC?
A: NO. Therefore the jurisdiction of the MTC is EXCLUSIVE. It does not share its power with
other courts.
b.) CONCURRENT or COORDINATE JURISDICTION is that possessed by the court together with
another or other courts over the same subject matter , the court obtaining jurisdiction first
retaining it to the exclusion of the others, but the choice of court is lodged in those persons
duly authorized to file the action. (Villanueva vs. Ortiz, 58 O.G. 1318, Feb. 12, 1962)
Example: Thaddeus Tangkad wants to file a case or petition in court. Then, he looks at the
law and the law says that you can file it in this court or, kung ayaw mo diyan, puwede din
dito, diyan or doon – Thaddeus Tangkad can file it in this court or in other courts. Therefore,
he has the right to choose where to file. So if Thaddeus files it in court #2, and it assumes
now jurisdiction, out na ang court #1 and court #3. If he files it in court #3, out na yong #1
and #2. Now this is what you call CONCURRENT jurisdiction because you can file the case in
two courts or more at your choice.
Now, last time we were classifying courts and you learned that the SC is meron palang
original jurisdiction. Ito palang CA also has original jurisdiction. Ang RTC obviously is more of
an original court than an appellate court.
Q: Are there certain types of cases or petitions where I can file it directly with the SC or
file with the CA or file it with the RTC?
A: YES and the best example is a petition for HABEAS CORPUS. The SC, CA and
RTC share concurrent jurisdiction to entertain petitions for habeas corpus. Makapili
ka. I-file mo SC, puwede. Kung gusto mo sa CA, puwede din. Kung i–file mo sa RTC, puwede. In
effect, these are the instances when the SC, CA and RTC exercise concurrent jurisdiction.