[ OCA CIRCULAR NO. 18-2017, January 19, 2017 ]

[ OCA CIRCULAR NO. 18-2017, January 19, 2017 ]

[ OCA CIRCULAR NO. 18-2017, January 19, 2017 ]

TO : ALL PRESIDING/ACTING PRESIDING JUDGES OF COMMERCIAL COURTS

SUBJECT : DESIGNATING COMMERCIAL COURTS AS CYBERCRIME COURTS AND SUBMISSION OF REPORTS OF CYBERCRIME CASES

In its Resolution dated 15 November 2016 in Administrative Matter No. 03-03-03-SC (Designating Certain Branches of the Regional Trial Courts to Try and Decide Cybercrime Cases Under Republic Act No. 10175), the Honorable Court en bane resolved to:

1. The Regional Trial Court branches designated as Special Commercial Courts in A.M. No. 03-03-03-SC dated June 17, 2003 are hereby DESIGNATED as "Cybercrime Courts" to try and decide cybercrime cases covered under Republic Act No. 10175, in addition to their designation as Special Commercial Courts;

2. The Cybercrime Courts in the judicial regions shall have territorial authority over the entire region where the Regional Trial Court is located for purposes of exercising the special jurisdiction granted herein. Accordingly, cybercrime cases shall be filed in the Office of the Clerk of Court in the official station of the proper Cybercrime Court;

3. To ensure a fair and equitable distribution of cases, and pending determination of the actual volume of cybercrime cases that may be filed, the Cybercrime Courts shall continue to be included in the raffle of other cases and toward this end, the Executive Judge concerned shall adopt a procedure whereby every case assigned to a Cybercrime Court is considered as a case raffled and duly credited to such court;

4. The Office of the Court Administrator shall monitor the volume of cases filed with the Cybercrime Courts and report to the Supreme Court its findings within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Resolution.

5. Cybercrime Courts in Quezon City, Manila, Makati, and Pasig shall have authority to act on applications for the issuance of search warrants involving violations of Republic Act No. 10175, which search warrants shall be enforceable nationwide. Within their respective territorial jurisdictions, the Cybercrime Courts in the judicial regions where the violations of Republic Act No. 10175 occurred shall have jurisdiction to issue search warrants.

The Resolution dated 15 November 2016, appended herein as Annex "A", was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star on 8 December 2016 and took effect on 23 December 2016.

Pursuant to the directive of the Honorable Court to the Office of the Court Administrator to monitor cybercrime cases, you are hereby DIRECTED to submit quarterly reports of cybercrime cases using the attached forms (downloadable from the Office of the Court Administrator website: oca.judiciary.gov.ph), on or before the tenth (10 th) day of the month following every quarter, through the Statistical Reports Division of the Court Management Office (SRD-CMO), or thru electronic email at cybercrimecases(S)sc.iudiciarv.gov.ph .

For your strict compliance.

19 January 2017

(SGD.) JOSE MIDAS P. MARQUEZ Court Administrator