G.R. No. 184869 - Central Mindanao University vs. Executive Secretary

CMU is a state-owned and run educational institution established under Republic Act 4498, which converted Mindanao Agricultural College into CMU.
In 1958, Presidential Proclamation No. 476 reserved 3,401 hectares of public domain lands in Musuan, Bukidnon, as a school site for CMU.
Subsequently, CMU obtained titles over 3,080 hectares of these lands through Original Certificates of Title (OCTs) Nos. 0-160, 0-161, and 0-162.
Over 300 hectares of the remaining land were distributed to several tribes belonging to the area's cultural communities.

On January 7, 2003, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Presidential Proclamation No. 310, taking 670 hectares from CMU’s registered lands for distribution to indigenous peoples and cultural communities in Barangay Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon.
On April 3, 2003, CMU filed a petition for prohibition before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Malaybalay City to stop enforcement of the proclamation, asserting its unconstitutionality.
Respondents included the Executive Secretary, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, Chairperson and Commissioner of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and Lead Convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission.
NCIP and others moved to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction, claiming the RTC of Malaybalay lacked authority as the executive act was done in Manila; the RTC denied this motion and proceeded with the case.
After preliminary injunction hearings, on October 27, 2003, the RTC granted partial reconsideration and dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction but also ruled, assumptively, that the proclamation was constitutional.
CMU’s motion for reconsideration was denied on April 19, 2004. CMU appealed to the Court of Appeals (CA) Mindanao Station.

The CA dismissed the appeal on March 14, 2008, for lack of jurisdiction, ruling that the appeal involved pure questions of law appropriate for a petition for review directly to the Supreme Court.
CMU’s motion for reconsideration was denied on September 22, 2008, leading to the present petition for review to the Supreme Court.

Whether the Court of Appeals erred in affirming the RTC's dismissal of CMU's action for lack of jurisdiction while also ruling on the constitutionality of Presidential Proclamation No. 310.
Whether the Court of Appeals properly dismissed CMU's appeal on the ground that it raised pure questions of law warranting direct review by the Supreme Court.
Whether Presidential Proclamation No. 310, which took 670 hectares of CMU land for distribution to indigenous peoples and cultural communities, is valid and constitutional.