For criminal cases with attendant claim below Php1,000,000, original jurisdiction is vested with which forum?

• A. Court of Tax Appeals
• B. MTC
• C. Sandiganbayan
• D. Regional Trial Court

Answer: (B)

The amount involved in the civil or attendant claim determines which court has original jurisdiction in a criminal case that includes a civil action arising from the offense. The Municipal Trial Court has original jurisdiction over criminal cases when the penalty is up to six years and one day and the attached civil action does not exceed one million pesos. So, if the attendant claim is below Php 1,000,000, the proper forum to hear the criminal case (including the civil action) is the MTC. If the civil claim were higher than Php 1,000,000, the Regional Trial Court would take original jurisdiction instead. The other courts listed serve different kinds of cases (tax cases for Court of Tax Appeals; cases involving certain public officers for Sandiganbayan) and are not appropriate for a criminal case with a civil claim under the Php 1,000,000 threshold.