SC sets guidelines for courts handling expropriation cases

MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday released the guidelines for special courts that will handle litigation for the expropriation cases arising from the government’s ‘Build. Build. Build’ program.

“With the designation of special courts to specifically handle expropriation cases as well as the issuance of the said guidelines which provide for deadlines in court proceedings, it is expected that the expropriation cases filed before our courts will be resolved faster and swifter. Thus delays in the completion of the national government’s infrastructure projects will be negated,” Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta said in a statement.

Under the guidelines, as far as practicable, all special expropriation courts for public roads, as well as other RTCs with pending expropriation cases, shall devote at least one day a week to hear expropriation cases.

All newly-filed expropriation cases shall be raffled or assigned to the designated special expropriation court for public roads.

According to the guidelines, expropriation cases shall strictly comply with the 2019 proposed amendments to the 1997 rules of civil procedure where trial shall be terminated within 180 days from the initial presentation of evidence.

Judgment shall be rendered within 90 days from submission for decision unless otherwise provided by law or the court.

Eleven special regional trial courts (RTCs) in the cities of Imus, Trece Martires, Dasmariñas, Tagaytay in Cavite, and the cities of Caloocan and Manila have been specifically designated to hear and decide expropriation cases involving national government infrastructure projects under Republic Act 10752 or the Right of Way Act.

The SC circulars were issued after Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar sought the assistance of the Office of the Chief Justice and Office of the Court Administrator for its ongoing priority big-ticket projects.

The DPWH is expected to file an estimated 902 expropriation cases before the RTCs.