Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Section 14, paragraph (i) of Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, otherwise known as the "Judiciary Reorganization Act. of 1980", as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 14. Regional Trial Courts. -

"x x x

"(e) Forty-three Regional Trial Judges shall be commissioned for the Eighth Judicial Region. There shall be:

"x x x

"Nineteen branches with seats thereat for the Province of Leyte, the Province of Biliran, and the cities of Ormoc and Tacloban, with seats at Tacloban City, Abuyog, Calubian, Ormoc City, Carigara, Baybay, Burauen, Naval, Palompon, Hilongos, and Caibiran:

"x x x."

SEC. 2. The Supreme Court shall assign the two additional branches of the regional trial court in the City of Tacloban, Province of Leyte in accordance with this Act.

SEC. 3. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, in coordination with the Secretary of the Department of Justice, shall immediately include in the court's program the operationalization of the additional regional trial court branches in the Province of Leyte, with station at the City of Tacloban, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
      
Approved,

(Sgd.) MANNY VILLAR	(Sgd.) JOSE DE VENECIA JR.
President of the Senate	Speaker of the House of Representatives

This Act which originated in the House of Representatives was finally passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on May 29, 2006 and Dec. 18, 2006, respectively.

(Sgd.) OSCAR G. YABES	(Sgd.) ROBERTO P. NAZARENO
Secretary of the Senate	Secretary General House of Representatives

Approved: March 6, 2007