Regional Trial Courts (RTC)
Highest “trial courts” in the Philippines.
It was formerly called as the Court of First instance (CFI) before 1980.
It was established in each of the 13 regions in the Philippines.
Qualifications:
Natural-born citizen at least thirty-five years of age and for at least ten years, has been engaged in the practice of law in the Philippines or has held a public office in the Philippines requiring admission to the practice of law as an indispensable requisite
(Based on Batasang Pambansa Blg. 129)
1987 Philippine Constitution
Article 8 - Section 7. (1) No person shall be appointed Member of the Supreme Court or any lower collegiate court unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines. A Member of the Supreme Court must be at least forty years of age, and must have been for fifteen years or more, a judge of a lower court or engaged in the practice of law in the Philippines.(2) The Congress shall prescribe the qualifications of judges of lower courts, but no person may be appointed judge thereof unless he is a citizen of the Philippines and a member of the Philippine Bar. (3) A Member of the Judiciary must be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence.
Batas Pambansa Blg. 129
Section 17. Appointment and assignment of Regional Trial Judges. – Every Regional Trial Judge shall be appointed to a region which shall be his permanent station, and his appointment shall state the branch of the court and the seat thereof to which he shall be originally assigned. However, the Supreme Court may assign temporarily a Regional Trial Judge to another region as public interest may require, provided that such temporary assignment shall not last longer than six (6) months without the consent of the Regional Trial Judge concerned.
A Regional Trial Judge may be assigned by the Supreme Court to any branch or city or municipality within the same region as public interest
References: www.lawphil.net www.chanrobles.com 1987 Constitution of the Philippines Wikipedia