Court of Appeals of the Philippines

Organized on February 1, 1936, the Court of Appeals was initially composed of Justice Pedro Concepcion, as the first Presiding Judge, and ten (10) Appellate Judges appointed by the President 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 (7)-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 had also 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 (11) to fifteen (15), with three divisions of 5 under Commonwealth Act No. 259. On December 24, 1941, the membership of the Court was further increased to nineteen (19) Justices under Executive Order No. 395.

Court of Appeals

The Court functioned during the Japanese occupation, 1941–44. But 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 with a Presiding Justice and fourteen (14) Associate Justices. They composed 5 divisions of 3 Justices each.

On August 23, 1956, the Court membership was expanded to 18 Justices per Republic Act No. 1605. The number was hiked to 24 Justices as decreed by Republic Act No. 5204 approved on June 15, 1968. Ten years later, the unabated swelling of its dockets called for a much bigger Court of 45 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 Marcos. The Court was renamed Intermediate Appellate Court and its membership enlarged to 51 Justices. However, only thirty-seven (37) Justices were appointed.

On July 28, 1986, President Aquino issued Executive Order No.33 restoring the original name of the Court of Appeals with a Presiding Justice and fifty (50) Associate Justices.

On February 23, 1995, Republic Act No. 7902 was passed expanding the jurisdiction of the Court effective March 18, 1995. On December 30, 1996, Republic Act No. 8246 created six (6) more divisions in the Court, thereby increasing its membership from fifty-one (51) to sixty-nine (69) Justices. These additional divisions – 3 for Visayas and 3 for Mindanao paved the way for the appellate court's regionalization. The Court in the Visayas sits in Cebu City while Cagayan de Oro City is home to the Court for Mindanao.

On August 18, 2007, Atty. Briccio Joseph Boholst, President of Integrated Bar of the Philippines — Cebu City Chapter, opposed the abolition of the Court in Cebu City, for it will cause inconvenience for both litigants and lawyers. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruben Reyes was tasked to investigate and submit recommendation to the High Tribunal because of the alleged massive graft and corruption of justices, especially in the issuance of temporary restraining orders (TROs).[2]

On February 1, 2018, the Court celebrated its 82nd Anniversary.[3]

The current President of the Association of The Court of Appeals Employees (ACAE) is Edwin S. Avanceña.

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 justice, with a tenure of 6,204 days (16 years, 360 days) as of February 3, 2021; the most recent justices to enter the court are Raymond Reynold Lauigan, Bonifacio Pascua, Lorenza Bordios and Richard Moreno whose respective tenures began on March 2, 2020.

On December 7, 2020, Presiding Justice Remedies Salazar-Fernando reorganised the Court divisions which took effect on December 16, 2020.

• 
  Back view of the Court
• 
  Old and new building
• 
  New (Annex) building
• 
  Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila at the 76th Anniversary of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines

• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
• Court of Tax Appeals of the Philippines
• Sandiganbayan
• Philippines
• Political history of the Philippines
• Constitution of the Philippines

Sources

• History of the Court of Appeals

• Philippines: Gov.Ph: About the Philippines – Justice category
• The Philippines Court of Appeals – Official website