Rule 136 of the Rules of Court

COURT RECORD AND GENERAL DUTIES OF CLERKS AND STENOGRAPHERS

COURT RECORD AND GENERAL DUTIES OF CLERKS AND

STENOGRAPHERS
Rule 136

SECTION 1. Arms and great seal of court. - The arms and great seal of
the Supreme Court are these: chanroblesvirtuallawlibrary

Arms – Paleways of two pieces azure and gules super-imposed a balance or center
with two tablets containing the commandments of God or on either side; a chief
argent with three mullets or equidistant f rom each other, in point of honor,
avoid argent over all the sun rayonnant or with eight major and minor rays.
The great seal of the Supreme Court shall be circular in form, with the arms as
described in the last preceding paragraph and a scroll argent with the following
inscriptions: chanroblesvirtuallawlibrary chan robles virtual law library
Lex Populusque, and surrounding the whole a garland of laurel leaves in or;
around the garland the text “Supreme Court, Republic of the
Philippines.”
The arms and seal of the Court of Appeals shall be the same as that of the
Supreme Court with the only difference that in the seal shall bear around the
garland the text “Court of Appeals, Republic of the Philippines.”
The arms and seal of the Regional Trial Court shall be the same as that of the
Supreme Court with the only difference that the seal shall bear around the
garland, the text “Regional Trial Court, the name of the province,
Republic of the Philippines.” (As amended by Resolution of the Supreme
Court dated Nov. 10, 1967).
SEC. 2. Style of process. - Process shall be under the seal of the court
from which it issues, be styled “Republic of the Philippines, Province
of _________________” to be signed by the clerk and bear date the day it
actually issued.
SEC. 3. Clerk’s office. - The clerk’s office, with the clerk or his deputy
in attendance, shall be open during business hours on all days except Sundays
and legal holidays. The clerk of the Supreme Court and that of the Court of
Appeals shall keep the office at Manila and all papers authorized or required
to be filed therein shall be filed at Manila.
SEC. 4. Issuance by clerk of process. - The clerk of a superior court
shall issue under the seal of the court all ordinary writs and process incident
to pending cases, the issuance of which does not involve the exercise of
functions appertaining to the court or judge only; and may, under the direction
of the court or judge, make out and sign letters of administration, appointments
of guardians, trustees and receivers, and all writs and process issuing from
the court.
SEC. 5. Duties of the clerk in the absence or by direction of the
judge. - In the absence of the judge, the clerk may perform all the duties
of the judge in receiving applications, petitions, inventories, reports, and
the issuance of all orders and notices that follow as a matter of course under
these rules, and may also, when directed so to do by the judge, receive the
accounts off executors, administrators, guardians, trustees, and receivers, and
all evidence relating to them, or to the settlement of the estates of deceased
persons, or to guardianships, trusteeships, or receiverships, and forthwith
transmit such reports, accounts, and evidence to the judge, together with the
findings in relation to the same, if the judge shall direct him to make findings
and include the same in his report.
SEC. 6. Clerk shall receive papers and prepare minutes. - The clerk
of each superior court shall receive and file all pleadings and other papers
properly presented, endorsing on each such paper the time when it was filed,
and shall attend all of the sessions of the court and enter its proceedings for
each day in a minute book to be kept by him.
SEC. 7. Safekeeping of property. - The clerk shall safely keep all
records, papers, files, exhibits and public property committed to his charge,
including the library of the court, and the seal and furniture belonging to his
office. chan robles virtual law library
SEC. 8. General docket. - The clerk shall keep a general docket, each page
of which shall be numbered and prepared for receiving all the entries in a
single case, and shall enter therein all cases, numbered consecutively in the
order in which they were received, and, under the heading of each case and a
complete title thereof, the date of each paper filed or issued, of each order
or judgment entered, and of each other step taken in the case, so that by
reference to a single page, the history of the case may be seen.
SEC. 9. Judgment and entries book. - The clerk shall keep a judgment
book containing a copy of each judgment rendered by the court in order of its
date, and a book of entries of judgments containing at length in chronological
order entries of all final judgments or orders of the court.
SEC. 10. Execution book. - The clerk shall keep an execution book in which
he or his deputy shall record at length in chronological order each execution,
and the officer’s return thereon, by virtue of which real property has been
sold.
SEC. 11. Certified copies. - The clerk shall prepare, for any person
demanding the same, a copy certified under the seal of the court of any paper,
record, order, judgment, or entry in his office, proper to be certified, for
the fees prescribed by these rules.
SEC. 12. Other books and duties. – The clerk shall keep such other books
and perform such other duties as the court may direct.
SEC. 13. Index; separating cases. - The general docket, judgment book,
entries book and execution book shall each be indexed in alphabetical order in
the names of the parties, and each of them. If the court so directs, the clerk
shall keep two or more of either or all of the books and dockets above mentioned,
separating civil from criminal cases, or actions from special proceedings, or
otherwise keeping cases separated by classes as the court shall deem best.
SEC. 14. Taking of record from the clerk’s office. - No record shall
be taken from the clerk’s office without an order of the court except as
otherwise provided by these rules. However, the Solicitor General or any of
his assistants, the provincial fiscal or his deputy, and the attorneys de
officio shall be permitted, upon proper receipt, to withdraw from the clerk’s
office the record of any case in which they are interested.
SEC. 15. Unprinted papers. – All unprinted documents presented to the
superior courts of the Philippines shall be written on paper of good quality
twelve and three eight inches in length by eight and one-half inches in width,
leaving a margin at the top and at the left-hand side not less than one inch
and one-half in width.
Papel catalan, of the first and second classes, legal cap, and typewriting
paper of such weight as not to permit the writing of more than one original and
two carbons at one time, will be accepted, provided that such paper is of the
required size and of good quality. Documents written with ink shall not be of
more than twenty-five lines to one page. Typewritten documents shall be written
double-spaced. One side only of the page will be written upon, and the different
sheets will be sewn together, firmly, by five stitches in the left-hand border
in order to facilitate the formation of the expediente, and they must not be
doubled. chan robles virtual law library

Resolution of the Court en banc dated November 24, 1992,

provides: chanroblesvirtuall awlibrar y

The court motu proprio Resolved to further amend Sections 15 and 16, Rule 136 of
the Rules of Court, as well as its Resolution of Sept. 17, 1974 as amended by
Resolution dated February 23, 1984, as follows: ch anroblesvirtuall awlibrar y

Effective immediately and until further actions of the Court, all pleadings, briefs,
memoranda, motions and other papers to be filed before the Supreme Court and the
Court of Appeals shall either be typewritten on good quality, unglazed paper, or
mimeographed or printed on newsprint or mimeograph paper, 11 inches in length
by 8-1/2 inches in width (commonly known as letter size) or 13 inches in length by
8-1/2 inches in width (commonly known as legal size). There shall be a margin at
the top and at the left-hand side of each page not less than 1-1/2 inches width. The
contents shall be written double-spaced and only one side of the page shall be used.

In the Supreme Court, eighteen (18) legible copies of the petition shall initially be
filed, and eighteen (18) copies of subsequent pleadings, briefs, memoranda,
motions and other papers shall be filed in cases for consideration of the Court en
banc and nine (9) copies in cases to be heard before a division. One (1) copy thereof
shall be served upon each of the adverse parties in either case.

In the Court of Appeals, seven (7) legible copies of pleadings, briefs, memoranda,
motions and other papers shall be filed and one (1) copy thereof shall be served on
each of the adverse parties.
SEC. 16. Printed papers. - All papers required by these rules to be printed
shall be printed with black ink on unglazed paper, with pages six inches in
width by nine inches in length, pamphlet form. The type used shall not be
smaller than twelve point. The paper used shall be of sufficient weight to
prevent the printing upon one side from being visible upon the other. chanrobles virtualawlibrary

SEC. 17. Stenographer. - It shall be the duty of the stenographer who has
attended a session of a court either in the morning or in the afternoon, to
deliver to the clerk of court, immediately at the close of such morning or
afternoon session, all the notes he has taken, to be attached to the record of
the case; and it shall likewise be the duty of the clerk to demand that the
stenographer comply with said duty. The clerk of court shall stamp the date on
which notes are received by him. When such notes are transcribed, the
transcript shall be delivered to the clerk, duly initialed on each page thereof,
to be attached to the record of the case. (See Administrative Circular No. 24-90
(July 12, 1990) Re: Revised Rules on Transcription of Stenographic Notes and Their
Transmission to Appellate Courts). chan robles virtual law library

Whenever requested by a party, any statement made by a judge of first instance,

or by a commissioner, with reference to a case being tried by him, or to any of
the parties thereto, or to any witness or attorney, during the hearing of such
case, shall be made of record in the stenographic notes.
SEC. 18. Docket and other records of inferior courts. - Every
municipal or city judge shall keep a well-bound labeled “docket,” in which he
shall enter for each case: chanroblesvirtuallawlibrary

(a) Title of the case including the nsame of all the parties;

(b) The nature of the case, whether civil or criminal, and if the latter, the
offense charged;

(c) The date of issuing preliminary and intermediate process including order of
arrest and subpoenas, and the date and nature of the return thereon;

(d) The date of the appearance of default of the defendant;

(e) The date of presenting the plea, answer, or motion to quash, and the nature
of the same; chan robles virtual law library
(f) The minutes of the trial, including the date thereof and of all
adjournments;

(g) The names and addresses of all witnesses;

(h) The date and nature of the judgment, and, in a civil case, the relief
granted;

(i) An itemized statement of the costs; chan robles virtual law library

(j) The date of any execution issued, and the date and contents of the return
thereon;

(k) The date of any notice of appeal filed, and the name of the party filing
the same.
A municipal or city judge may keep two dockets, one for civil and one for
criminal cases. He shall also keep all the pleadings and other papers and
exhibits in cases pending in his court, and shall certify copies of his docket
entries and other records proper to be certified, for the fees prescribed by
these rules. It shall not be necessary for the municipal or city judge to
reduce to writing the testimony of witnesses, except that of the accused in
preliminary investigations.

SEC. 19. Entry on docket of inferior courts. - Each Metropolitan Trial

judge shall, at the beginning and in front of all his entries in his docket,
make and subscribe substantially the following entry: chanroblesvirtuallawlibrary

“A docket of proceedings in cases before _________________________

(metropolitan trial judge) of the municipality (or city) of
______________________ in the prvince of __________________________, Republic
of the Philippines.
Witness my signature,
_______________________________________
Municipal
(or Metropolitan Trial Judge)"

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