GR 96630; (May, 1991) (Digest)
G.R. No. 96630 ; May 15, 1991
NOTRE DAME DE LOURDES HOSPITAL, represented by SISTER MARIA LINDA TANALGO, SPC, petitioner, vs. HON. HEILLA S. MALLARE-PHILLIPS, Acting Presiding Judge, RTC, Branch 8, La Trinidad, Benguet, et al., respondents.
FACTS
Petitioner Notre Dame de Lourdes Hospital (NDLH) filed a petition for certiorari seeking a review of the trial court’s order denying its motion to dismiss a complaint for injunction filed by the private respondents. The respondents, comprising members of the hospital’s medical staff, resident physicians, medical interns, and patients, initiated the injunction suit (Civil Case No. 90-CV-0541) in the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of La Trinidad, Benguet, to restrain the hospital from certain actions. NDLH moved to dismiss the complaint on the grounds of lack of jurisdiction and improper venue, arguing that the RTC in La Trinidad, Benguet, had no authority to entertain the suit.
ISSUE
Whether the Regional Trial Court, Branch VIII, in La Trinidad, Benguet, has jurisdiction over the injunction suit and whether the venue was properly laid.
RULING
The Supreme Court dismissed the petition, ruling that the RTC in La Trinidad, Benguet, correctly assumed jurisdiction and that venue was proper. The action for injunction is a civil action incapable of pecuniary estimation, falling under the exclusive original jurisdiction of the regional trial court pursuant to Section 19 of B.P. Blg. 129. It is a personal action, as it does not involve title to or possession of real property. Under Section 2(b), Rule 4 of the Rules of Court, a personal action may be filed where the defendant resides or may be found, or where the plaintiff resides, at the plaintiff’s election.
Here, at least two plaintiffs, Drs. Felipe Tabanda, Jr. and Rossann Sta. Cruz, were residents of La Trinidad, Benguet, as alleged in the complaint. This fact alone suffices to establish proper venue, regardless of the total number of plaintiffs or the petitioner’s contention that these individuals lacked a cause of action. Jurisdiction and venue are determined by the allegations in the complaint, not by defenses raised in the answer. Furthermore, under Section 21 of B.P. Blg. 129, the RTC’s writs of injunction are enforceable anywhere within its judicial region. The First Judicial Region includes both Benguet province and Baguio City, where NDLH is located. Therefore, the RTC in La Trinidad, Benguet, committed no grave abuse of discretion in denying the motion to dismiss.