The Supreme Court (SC) has designated 26 Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) as special courts to handle exclusively corruption-related cases arising from infrastructure projects of the government.

There are five RTC special anti-graft courts each in the National Capital Region and Region III; and four each in Region IV-A, Region V, Region VII, and Region XI.

In areas where there are no RTCs, the corruption cases should be referred to the nearest judicial region with designated special courts, the SC said.

The RTCs have been acting as special courts. Among these are those assigned as special commercial courts, illegal drugs courts, and family courts.

The SC’s Office of the Spokesperson said that the designation of RTCS as special courts is in accordance with Republic Act No. (RA) 10660, the law expanding the jurisdiction of the RTC to include cases under anti-graft laws.

It said the office of Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo approved the recommendation of Court Administrator Ma. Theresa Dolores C. Gomez-Estoesta to designate specific RTCs as special judges to handle corruption-related infrastructure cases.

Earlier, the SC had directed the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) to monitor the filing of cases involving corruption in infrastructure projects before the RTCs.

Several multi-billion-peso flood control projects which were suspected to be anomalous are still under investigation.

The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) and the Department of Justice which are conducting preliminary investigations are expected to file cases in court late this month or in December.

The SC said the RTC judges whose courts will be designated as special infrastructure courts will undergo training from the Philippine Judicial Academy (PhilJa), with lectures led by Sandiganbayan associate justices.

It said the training will cover substantive and procedural laws, including RA 7080 or the Law on Plunder, RA 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, rules on bail in plunder cases, evidentiary rules in anti-graft cases, the rule on cyber warrants, and rules on forensic evidence, among others.

Under RA 10660, the RTC has exclusive original jurisdiction when the graft case does not involve damage to the government or any bribery; or when it involves damage to the government or bribery arising from transactions not exceeding P1 million, the SC said.

It also said that jurisdiction over graft cases involving public officers occupying positions with Salary Grades 26 and below belong to the proper RTC, Metropolitan Trial Court, Municipal Trial Court, and Municipal Circuit Trial Court in accordance with Batas Pambansa Blg. 129 or the Judiciary Reorganization Act.

Appeals from the decisions of the designated RTCs will be heard by the Sandiganbayan.

The Sandiganbayan, has jurisdiction over cases of government officials with Salary Grade 27 and above. Appeals from the decisions of the Sandiganbayan are elevated directly to the SC.