Title
Concon vs. Court of Appeals
Case
G.R. No. L-32737
Decision Date
May 8, 1985
Gregorio Concon appealed a grave threats conviction, disputing appellate jurisdiction between Court of First Instance and Court of Appeals. Supreme Court ruled Court of Appeals had proper jurisdiction under Judiciary Act of 1948.
A

Case Summary (G.R. No. L-32737)

Procedural Background

Following his conviction on July 2, 1968, Concon filed a notice of appeal, indicating his intention to appeal to the Court of First Instance of Cebu. Contrary to his notice, the City Court forwarded the records to the Court of Appeals, where the case was designated as CA-G.R. No. 09188. Two years later, on November 2, 1970, Concon filed a motion requesting the remand of the records to the Court of First Instance on the grounds that it, not the Court of Appeals, held appellate jurisdiction over his case. After the appellate court denied his motion and required him to submit a brief, he sought reconsideration, which was also denied, prompting him to file the current petition.

Jurisdictional Issue

Concon contended that his appeal should be adjudicated by the Court of First Instance, citing Section 42 of Republic Act No. 3857, also known as the Revised Charter of Cebu City. This provision states that an appeal should be directed to the Court of First Instance in cases resulting in fines or imprisonment imposed by the City Court. However, the provision he relied upon applies solely to appeals from cases decided by the Cebu City Court exercising its exclusive original jurisdiction.

Concurrent Jurisdiction of Courts

The decision addressed the concurrent jurisdiction of the City Court and the Court of First Instance under the Judiciary Act of 1948, pointing out that the offense of grave threats, as outlined in Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code, fell within this concurrent jurisdiction. Both courts possessed original jurisdiction over cases involving such offenses, allowing Concon's appeal to be correctly certified to the Court of Appeals.

Relevant Statutory Provisions

The ruling references several sections of the Judiciary Act of 1948, particularly Section 87(c), which articulates that cases filed with city court judges shall be appealable directly to the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court, as appropriate. This determination was pertinent, especially since it applied to appeals perfected prior to the enactment of Batas Pambansa Blg. 129 on January 17, 1983, which redefined and clarified the jurisdictional parameters of lower courts.

Implementation of New Law

Batas Pambansa Blg. 129 repealed several provisions of the Judiciary Act of

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