Weird circular shows out-of-touch SC
I am a resident of Quezon City wanting to file a civil case against my neighbor who owes me P88,000. I haled him before the barangay captain for amicable settlement as required by law. Nothing happened.
A “certificate to file action” was issued.
When I inquired how much it would cost to file that case, I was told about P5,000. It was a good thing no lawyer is needed to file a “small claims” case. All I would have to do was to fill out a prepared form and attach the promissory note. Judgment was to be rendered faster.
Article continues after this advertisementBut the deal breaker was, such a case will be heard in Manila. A weird circular from the Supreme Court instructs that all civil cases cognizable by the Metropolitan Trial Court in Quezon City (MTC-QC) are to be thrown to the Metropolitan Trial Court in Manila (MTC-M) due to docket congestion in the MTC-QC. Under the old procedure, cases can be filed in the city where the complainant resides. The rationale was simple: He is the aggrieved party. It is but fair that he gets to choose the venue.
On any given day of the work week, travel from my place to the MTC-QC takes less than 30 minutes, while travel to the MTC-M is an excruciating 2- to 3-hour endurance ride. What planet did our Supreme Court justices come from? Are they not in touch with the reality that traffic is such a nightmare all over Metro Manila?
Good for these “sup-remes”—they are chauffeured in luxurious cars maintained by taxpayer money, and being late for work has absolutely no consequence to them. Super manhid talaga.
Article continues after this advertisementMARIA MARGARITA AYTONA, [email protected]