Question & AnswerQ&A (Commonwealth Act No. 659)
Quezon City is established as a municipal corporation with perpetual succession, capable of suing and being sued, holding property, contracting, and exercising powers as provided by law.
Quezon City may take, purchase, receive, hold, lease, convey, and dispose of real and personal property interests and, subject to department head approval, may condemn private property for public use.
The Act provides a detailed description of Quezon City's boundaries, starting from a point marked as Boundary Monument No. 1 of Piedad Estate and following various geographic landmarks including rivers, creeks, roads, and adjacent estates.
The City Council has the power to issue, fix fees, regulate, or prohibit licenses for various occupations and establishments including hawkers, auctioneers, hotels, restaurants, public vehicles, and places of amusement, among others.
The Mayor can summarily revoke the license by order, subject to appeal, and such revocation forfeits any license fees paid and prohibits issuing new licenses to the person for a term specified in the order.
The City Engineer must approve all plats or plans of subdivisions of residential estates before submission for further approval, ensuring proper street design, open spaces, lot sizes, and public service facilities as regulated by ordinance.
The Act provides that the position performs the duties and functions prescribed by law for registers of deeds, as stipulated in the newly added paragraph (j) of Section 19.
There are to be three assistant city attorneys along with such number of deputy city attorneys as provided by ordinance to assist the city attorney.
The municipal court has jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases similar to justice of the peace courts, and concurrent jurisdiction with the Court of First Instance over certain criminal cases involving gambling, assault without intent to kill, theft or swindling below a certain value, sale of intoxicating liquors, and others.
The municipal court may administer oaths, issue summons, writs, warrants, executions, compel witness attendance, punish contempt by fines or imprisonment, and require bonds for good behavior or court appearance.
Appeals must be filed in writing before 6 PM the day after judgment is entered, which perfects the appeal. The municipal court judge transmits records to the Court of First Instance which tries the case de novo. The appellant remains in custody or may be released on bail pending appeal.
Exemptions include lands/buildings owned by the U.S., Commonwealth, Quezon City, Rizal Province, churches, religious, charitable, scientific, or educational properties not held for investment, small-valued properties, and machinery used for industrial, agricultural or manufacturing purposes for the first five years of operation.
Cases pending in the justice of the peace court of Quezon City or the Court of First Instance of Rizal that correspond to Quezon City shall continue to be governed by the laws before this Act when the trial on the merits has started before its approval.
The clerk of the municipal court, who also serves as the sheriff of the city, keeps a docket of trials and collections of fines, fees, and costs, and is responsible for remitting collections to the city treasurer.