People of the Philippines v. Hon.

Judge Palma and Romulo Intia y Morada

G.R. No. L-44113 (March 31, 1977)
FACTS: Private Respondent Romulo, 17 years of age, was charged with vagrancy.
Respondent Judge dismissed the case on the ground that her court has no
jurisdiction to take further cognizance of this case without prejudice to the re-filing
thereof in the Juvenile Court, because he believed that jurisdiction over 16 years old
up to under 21 was transferred to the Juvenile Court by the issuance of PD 603 or the
Child and Youth Welfare Code, which defines youthful offenders as those over 9years
of age but under 21 at the time of the commission of the offense.
ISSUE: Whether or Not the issuance of PD 603 transferred the case of the accused
from the regular courts to the Juvenile Court.
HELD: R.A. 6591 creating the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court expressly
confers upon it a special and limited jurisdiction over criminal cases wherein the
accused is under 16 years of age at the time of the filing of the case. The subsequent
issuance of PD 603 known as the Child and Youth Welfare Code and defines a youth
offender as one who is over 9 years of age but under 21 at the time of the commission
of the offense did not by such definition transfer jurisdiction over criminal cases
involving accused who are 16 and under 21 years of age from the regular courts to the
Juvenile Court