JURISDICTION OF SANDIGANBAYAN

The jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan is perhaps one of the most often amended provision from
the 1973 Constitution to RA 8249 of 1997. Before RA 8249, jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan
was determined on the basis of the penalty imposable on the offense charged. Then, it was
amended such that regardless of the penalty, so long as the offense charged was committed by
a public officer, the Sandiganbayan was vested with jurisdiction. Under RA 8249, to determine
whether the Sandiganbayan has jurisdiction, lawyers must look into two (2) criteria, namely:

The nature of the offense and The salary grade of the public official.

Thus, Sec.4 of RA 8249 provides that the Sandiganbayan shall have original exclusive
jurisdiction over:

I.) Violations of RA 3019 (Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Law);

II.) RA 1379 (Forfeiture of Illegally Acquired Wealth);

III.) Crimes by public officers or employees embraced in Ch. II, Sec.2 Title VII, Bk. II of the
RPC (Crimes committed by Public Officers) namely:

a) Direct Bribery under Art. 210 as amended by BP 871, May 29, 1985;

b) Indirect Bribery under Art. 211 as amended by BP 871, May 29, 1985;

c) Qualified Bribery under Art. 211-A as amended by RA 7659, Dec. 13, 1993;

d) Corruption of public officials under Art. 212

where one or more of the accused are officials occupying the following positions in the
government whether in a permanent, acting or interim capacity, at the time of the commission of
the offense:

1) Officials of the executive branch occupying the positions of regional director and higher,
otherwise classified as Grade 27 and higher, of the Compensation and Position Classification
Act of 1989 Republic Act No. 6758) specifically including:

a) Provincial governors, vice-governors, members of the sangguniang panlalawigan,

provincial treasurers, assessors, engineers and other provincial department heads;

b) City mayors, vice-mayors, members of the sangguniang panglungsod, city treasurers,

assessors, engineers and other department heads;

c) Officials of the diplomatic service occupying the position of consul and higher;

d) Philippine Army and Air force colonels, naval captains and all officers of higher rank;

e) Officers of the PNP while occupying the position of Provincial Director and those holding
the rank of Senior Superintendent or higher;
 f) City and provincial prosecutors and their assistants; officials and the prosecutors in the
Office of the Ombudsman and special prosecutor ;

g) President, directors or trustees or managers of government owned or controlled

corporations, state universities or educational institutions or foundations;

2) Members of Congress and Officials thereof classified as Grade 27 and up under the
Compensation and Classification Act of 1989;

3) Members of the Judiciary without prejudice to the provision of the Constitution;

4) Chairmen and members of Constitutional Commissions, without prejudice to the provision

of the Constitution;

5) All other national and local officials classified as Grade 27 and higher under the
Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989.

IV.) Other offenses or felonies whether simple or complexed with other crimes committed in
relation to their office by the public officials and employees mentioned above;

V.) Civil and Criminal Cases filed pursuant to and in connection with EO 1, 2, 14 & 14-A issued
in 1986

VI.) Petitions for issuance of Writ of mandamus, prohibition, certiorari, habeas corpus, injunction
and other ancillary writs and processes in aid of its appellate jurisdiction; Provided, jurisdiction is
not exclusive of the Supreme Court

VII.) Petitions for Quo Warranto arising or that may arise in cases filed or that may be filed
under EO 1, 2, 14 & 14- A

VIII.) OTHERS provided the accused belongs to SG 27 or higher:

a.) Violation of RA 6713 - Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards

b.) Violation of RA 7080 - THE PLUNDER LAW

c.) Violation of RA 7659 - The Heinous Crime Law

d.) RA 9160 - Violation of The Anti-Money Laundering Law when committed by a public
officer

e.) PD 46 referred to as the gift-giving decree which makes it punishable for any official or
employee to receive directly or indirectly and for the private person to give or offer to give any
gift, present or other valuable thing on any occasion including Christmas, when such gift,
present or valuable thing is given by reason of his official position, regardless of whether or not
the same is for past favors or the giver hopes or expects to receive a favor or better treatment in
the future from the public official or employee concerned in the discharge of his official
functions. Included within the prohibition is the throwing of parties or entertainment in honor of
the official or employee or his immediate relatives.

f.) PD 749 which grants immunity from prosecution to any person who voluntarily gives
information about any violation of Art.210, 211 or 212 of the RPC, RA 3019, Sec.345 of the
NIRC, Sec. 3604 of the Customs and Tariff Code and other provisions of the said Codes
penalizing abuse or dishonesty on the part of the public officials concerned and other laws, rules
and regulations penalizing graft, corruption and other forms of official abuse and who willingly
testifies against the public official or employee subject to certain conditions.

It should be noted that private individuals can be sued in cases before the Sandiganbayan if
they are alleged to be in conspiracy with the public officer.

The Sandiganbayan is vested with Appellate Jurisdiction over final judgments, resolutions or
orders of the RTC whether in the exercise of their original or appellate jurisdiction over crimes
and civil cases falling within the original exclusive jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan but which
were committed by public officers below Salary Grade 27.
 Republic of the Philippines
CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES
Metro Manila

Sixteenth Congress
Second Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-eighth day of July, two thousand fourteen.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10660

AN ACT STRENGTHENING FURTHER THE FUNCTIONAL AND STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION

OF THE SANDIGANBAYAN, FURTHER AMENDING PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1606, AS
AMENDED, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress

assembled:

Section 1. Section 3 of Presidential Decree No. 1606, as amended, is hereby further amended to
read as follows:

"SEC. 3. Constitution of the Divisions; Quorum. – The Sandiganbayan shall sit in seven (7) divisions
of three (3) members each.

"Two (2) members shall constitute a quorum for sessions in divisions: Provided, That when the
required quorum for the particular division cannot be had due to the legal disqualification or
temporary incapacity of a member or a vacancy therein, the Presiding Justice may designate a
member of another division to be determined by strict rotation on the basis of the reverse order of
precedence, to sit as a special member of said division with all the rights and prerogatives of a
regular member of said division in the trial and determination of a case or cases assigned thereto."

Section 2. Section 4 of the same decree, as amended, is hereby further amended to read as
follows:

"SEC. 4. Jurisdiction. – The Sandiganbayan shall exercise exclusive original jurisdiction in all cases
involving:

"a. Violations of Republic Act No. 3019, as amended, otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and
Corrupt Practices Act, Republic Act No. 1379, and Chapter II, Section 2, Title VII, Book II of
the Revised Penal Code, where one or more of the accused are officials occupying the
following positions in the government, whether in a permanent, acting or interim capacity, at
the time of the commission of the offense:

"(1) Officials of the executive branch occupying the positions of regional director and
higher, otherwise classified as Grade ’27’ and higher, of the Compensation and
Position Classification Act of 1989 (Republic Act No. 6758), specifically including:

"(a) Provincial governors, vice-governors, members of the sangguniang

panlalawigan, and provincial treasurers, assessors, engineers, and other
provincial department heads:
 "(b) City mayors, vice-mayors, members of the sangguniang panlungsod, city
treasurers, assessors, engineers, and other city department heads;

"(c) Officials of the diplomatic service occupying the position of consul and
higher;

"(d) Philippine army and air force colonels, naval captains, and all officers of
higher rank;

"(e) Officers of the Philippine National Police while occupying the position of
provincial director and those holding the rank of senior superintendent and
higher;

"(f) City and provincial prosecutors and their assistants, and officials and
prosecutors in the Office of the Ombudsman and special prosecutor;

"(g) Presidents, directors or trustees, or managers of government-owned or

controlled corporations, state universities or educational institutions or
foundations.

"(2) Members of Congress and officials thereof classified as Grade ’27’ and higher
under the Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989;

"(3) Members of the judiciary without prejudice to the provisions of the Constitution;

"(4) Chairmen and members of the Constitutional Commissions, without prejudice to

the provisions of the Constitution; and

"(5) All other national and local officials classified as Grade ’27’ and higher under the
Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989.

"b. Other offenses or felonies whether simple or complexed with other crimes committed by
the public officials and employees mentioned in subsection a. of this section in relation to
their office.

"c. Civil and criminal cases filed pursuant to and in connection with Executive Order Nos. 1,
2, 14 and 14-A, issued in 1986.

"Provided, That the Regional Trial Court shall have exclusive original jurisdiction where the
information: (a) does not allege any damage to the government or any bribery; or (b) alleges
damage to the government or bribery arising from the same or closely related transactions or acts in
an amount not exceeding One million pesos (P1,000,000.00).

"Subject to the rules promulgated by the Supreme Court, the cases falling under the jurisdiction of
the Regional Trial Court under this section shall be tried in a judicial region other than where the
official holds office.

"In cases where none of the accused are occupying positions corresponding to Salary Grade ’27’ or
higher, as prescribed in the said Republic Act No. 6758, or military and PNP officers mentioned
above, exclusive original jurisdiction thereof shall be vested in the proper regional trial court,
metropolitan trial court, municipal trial court, and municipal circuit trial court, as the case may be,
pursuant to their respective jurisdictions as provided in Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, as amended.

"The Sandiganbayan shall exercise exclusive appellate jurisdiction over final judgments, resolutions
or orders of regional trial courts whether in the exercise of their own original jurisdiction or of their
appellate jurisdiction as herein provided.

"The Sandiganbayan shall have exclusive original jurisdiction over petitions for the issuance of
the writs of mandamus, prohibition, certiorari, habeas corpus, injunctions, and other ancillary writs
and processes in aid of its appellate jurisdiction and over petitions of similar nature, including quo
warranto, arising or that may arise in cases filed or which may be filed under Executive Order Nos.
1, 2, 14 and 14-A, issued in 1986: Provided, That the jurisdiction over these petitions shall not be
exclusive of the Supreme Court.

"The procedure prescribed in Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, as well as the implementing rules that the
Supreme Court has promulgated and may hereafter promulgate, relative to appeals/petitions for
review to the Court of Appeals, shall apply to appeals and petitions for review filed with the
Sandiganbayan. In all cases elevated to the Sandiganbayan and from the Sandiganbayan to the
Supreme Court, the Office of the Ombudsman, through its special prosecutor, shall represent the
People of the Philippines, except in cases filed pursuant to Executive Order Nos. 1, 2, 14 and 14-A,
issued in 1986.

"In case private individuals are charged as co-principals, accomplices or accessories with the public
officers or employees, including those employed in government-owned or controlled corporations,
they shall be tried jointly with said public officers and employees in the proper courts which shall
exercise exclusive jurisdiction over them.

"Any provisions of law or Rules of Court to the contrary notwithstanding, the criminal action and the
corresponding civil action for the recovery of civil liability shall at all times be simultaneously
instituted with, and jointly determined in, the same proceeding by the Sandiganbayan or the
appropriate courts, the filing of the criminal action being deemed to necessarily carry with it the filing
of the civil action, and no right to reserve the filing of such civil action separately from the criminal
action shall be recognized: Provided, however, That where the civil action had heretofore been filed
separately but judgment therein has not yet been rendered, and the criminal case is hereafter filed
with the Sandiganbayan or the appropriate court, said civil action shall be transferred to the
Sandiganbayan or the appropriate court, as the case may be, for consolidation and joint
determination with the criminal action, otherwise the separate civil action shall be deemed
abandoned."

Section 3. Section 5 of the same decree is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 5. Proceedings, How Conducted; Decision by Majority Vote. – All three (3) members of a
division shall deliberate on all matters submitted for judgment, decision, final order, or resolution.

"The concurrence of a majority of the members of a division shall be necessary to render a

judgment, decision, or final order, or to resolve interlocutory or incidental motions."

Section 4. Funding and Appropriations. – The amount necessary to carry out the implementation of
this Act shall be charged against the current appropriations of the Sandiganbayan. Thereafter, such
sums as may be needed for its full implementation shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act.
Section 5. Transitory Provision. – This Act shall apply to all cases pending in the Sandiganbayan
over which trial has not begun: Provided, That: (a) Section 2, amending Section 4 of Presidential
Decree No. 1606, as amended, on "Jurisdiction"; and (b) Section 3, amending Section 5 of
Presidential Decree No. 1606, as amended, on "Proceedings, How Conducted; Decision by Majority
Vote" shall apply to cases arising from offenses committed after the effectivity of this Act.

Section 6. Separability Clause. – Should any provision of this Act or part hereof be declared
unconstitutional, the other provisions or parts not affected thereby shall remain valid and effective.

Section 7. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, orders, and issuances, or portions thereof, which
are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed, amended or modified
accordingly.

Section 8. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official
Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,