[ Act No. 3267, December 08, 1925 ]

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, AS AMENDED, AND SECTION THREE OF ACT NUMBERED TWENTY-NINE HUNDRED AND FORTY-ONE, AS AMENDED, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in  Legislature  assembled and by  the authority of the same:SECTION 1. Section one hundred and fifty-four of the Administrative Code, as amended by  section one of Act  Numbered Thirty-one hundred and seven, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 154. Judges of first instance for judicial districts.— One judge of first instance shall be  commissioned for each judicial district, except the third, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, fourteenth, fifteenth, twentieth, and twenty-third."For the Third Judicial District there shall be two judges, one of  whom shall preside  over  the Court  of  First Instance of the Province of Ilocos Norte and the other over those of the Provinces of Ilocos Sur and Abra."For the Fifth Judicial District there shall be two judges who shall be known as judges of the first and second branch, respectively."For the Sixth Judicial District there shall be two judges, one of  whom shall preside  over  the Court  of  First Instance of the Province of Nueva  Ecija and the other over that of the Province of Tarlac."For the Seventh Judicial District there shall be two judges, one  of whom shall preside over the Court of First Instance of the Province of Pampanga and the other over that of the Province of Bulacan."For the Ninth Judicial District there shall be six judges who shall be known as  judges of the first, second,  third, fourth,  fifth, and sixth branch, respectively."For  the Fourteenth Judicial District there shall be two judges who shall be known as judges of the first and second branch, respectively."For  the  Fifteenth Judicial District there  shall be two judges, one of whom shall preside  over the Courts of First Instance of the  Provinces  of  Camarines Norte  and Camarines  Sur and the other  over those  of the Province of Albay and the Subprovince of Catanduanes."For  the  Twentieth Judicial District there shall be two judges who shall be known as judges of the first and second branch, respectively."For the Twenty-third Judicial District there shall be two judges who shall be known as judges of the first and second branch, respectively."For  the  purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section, a new judge shall be appointed for the Third Judicial District, to  preside over the Courts of First  Instance of Ilocos Sur and Abra; another judge shall be appointed for the Fifth Judicial District and shall be known as  judge of the second branch of said court; another judge  shall be appointed for the Sixth Judicial District, to preside over the Court of First Instance of Nueva Ecija; another judge shall be appointed for the  Seventh Judicial District, to preside over the Court of First Instance  of the Province of Pampanga; two other judges shall be appointed for the Ninth Judicial District and shall be known as judges of  the fifth and sixth branch, respectively; another judge shall be appointed for the  Fourteenth Judicial District and  shall be known as judge of the second branch of said court; another judge shall be appointed for the Fifteenth Judicial District, to preside over the Court of First Instance of the Province of Albay and the Subprovince of Catanduanes; another judge shall be appointed for the Twentieth Judicial District and shall be known as judge of the second branch of said court;  and another judge  shall  be  appointed for the Twenty-third Judicial District and shall be known as judge of the second branch of said court.  In provinces with more than one branch, the business of the court shall be distributed equitably among the judges of first instance of such branches, as said judges  may  agree  between themselves. In case.of disagreement, the Secretary of Justice shall decide, and said Secretary shall be empowered to promulgate rules for  the purpose  of preventing conflicts between the several branches."

SEC. 2.  Section three of  Act Numbered Twenty-nine hundred  and forty-one, as  amended by section two  of Act Numbered Thirty-one hundred and seven, and section one of Act Numbered Thirty-one hundred and ninety-one, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 3. Salaries of  the judges  of  first  instance.—The judges of first  instance of the  fifth, ninth,  twelfth, fourteenth, nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-third judicial districts shall receive an annual salary of ten  thousand pesos each; those of the third, fourth, sixth, seventh, tenth, eleventh, thirteenth, fifteenth,  twenty-second, and twenty-sixth. of nine thousand pesos each;  and those of the other judicial districts and the  auxiliary  judges of first  instance, of eight thousand pesos each.  The  clerk of the Supreme  Court, six thousand pesos."

SEC. 3. The subordinate  personnel for the Court of First Instance of the Fourteenth Judicial District shall be equal to that of the Twentieth Judicial District as regards number and salary, besides one assistant stenographer with a salary of twenty-four hundred  pesos per annum.  There are hereby made available, out of any  funds in the  Insular Treasury not otherwise  appropriated,  such sums as  may  be  necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act during the fiscal year nineteen hundred  and twenty-six.SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect on January  first, nineteen hundred and twenty-six.Approved, December 8, 1925.

Source: Supreme Court E-Library