Article 14p. 14

LEGAL AND JUDICIAL ETHICS CODES, CANONS AND RULES

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.

Section 16. Printed papers . — All papers require by these

rules to be printed shall be printed with blank ink on

unglazed paper, with pages six inches in width by nine

inches in length, in pamphlet form. The type used shall

not be smaller than twelve point. The paper used shall be

of sufficient weight to prevent the printing on one side

from being visible upon the other.

Section 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 such notes are received by him. When

such

notes

are

transcribed

the

transcript

shall

be

delivered to the clerk, duly initiated on each page thereof,

to be attached to the record of the case.

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.

Section 18. Docket and other records of interior courts . —

Every justice of the peace and municipal judge shall keep

a well-bound book labeled "docket" in which he shall

enter for each case:

(a) The title of the case including the names 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 orders of arrest and subpoenas, and the

date and nature of the return thereon;

(d)

The

date

of

the

appearance

or

default

of

the

defendant;

(e) The date of presenting the plea, answer, or motion to

quash, and the nature of the same;

(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 coast;

(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 justice of the peace or municipal 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 be

necessary for the justice of peace or municipal judge to

reduce writing the testimony of witnesses, except that of

the accused in preliminary investigations.

Section 19. Entry on docket of interior courts . — Each

justice of the peace or municipal judge shall, at the

beginning and in from of all his entries in his docket,

make and subscribe substantially the following entry:

A docket of proceedings in cases before . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . .; justice of the peace) or municipal judge) of the

municipality (or city) of . . . . . . . . . . . ., in the province of . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . Republic, of the Philippines.

Witness my signature,

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Justice of Peace (or Municipal Judge)

RULE 137 Disqualification of Judicial Officers

Section 1. Disqualification of judges . — No judge or

judicial officer shall sit in any case in which he, or his wife

or child, is pecuniarily interested as heir, legatee, creditor

or otherwise, or in which he is related to either party

within the sixth degree of consanguinity or affinity, or to

counsel within the fourth degree, computed according to

the rules of the civil law, or in which he has been executor,

administrator, guardian, trustee or counsel, or in which he

has been presided in any inferior court when his ruling or

decision is the subject of review, without the written

consent of all parties in interest, signed by them and

entered upon the record.

A judge may, in the exercise of his sound discretion,

disqualify himself from sitting in a case, for just or valid

reasons other than those mentioned above.

Section 2. Objection that judge disqualified, how made

and effect . — If it be claimed that an official is disqualified

from sitting as above provided, the party objecting to his

competency may, in writing, file with the official his

objection, stating the grounds therefor, and the official

shall thereupon proceed with the trial, or withdraw

therefrom, in accordance with his determination of the

question of his disqualification. His decision shall be

forthwith made in writing and filed with the other papers

in the case, but no appeal or stay shall be allowed from, or

by reason of, his decision in favor of his own competency,

until after final judgment in the case.

RULE 138 Attorneys and Admission to Bar

Section

1.

Who

may

practice

law .

—

Any

person

heretofore duly admitted as a member of the bar, or

hereafter

admitted

as

such in accordance with the

provisions of this rule, and who is in good and regular

standing, is entitled to practice law.

Section 2. Requirements for all applicants for admission

to the bar . — Every applicant for admission as a member

of the bar must be a citizen of the Philippines, at least

twenty-one years of age, of good moral character, and

resident of the Philippines; and must produce before the

Supreme

Court

satisfactory evidence of good moral

character, and that no charges against him, involving

moral turpitude, have been filed or are pending in any

court in the Philippines.

Section 3. Requirements for lawyers who are citizens of

the United States of America . — Citizens of the United

States of America who, before July 4, 1946, were duly

licensed members of the Philippine Bar, in active practice

in the courts of the Philippines and in good and regular

standing as such may, upon satisfactory proof of those

facts before the Supreme Court, be allowed to continue

such practice after taking the following oath of office:

I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., having been permitted to

continue in the practice of law in the Philippines, do

solemnly swear that I recognize the supreme authority of

the

Republic

of

the

Philippines;

I

will

support

its

Constitution and obey the laws as well as the legal orders

of the duly constituted authorities therein; I will do no

falsehood, nor consent to the doing of any in court; I will

not wittingly or willingly promote or sue any groundless,

false or unlawful suit, nor give aid nor consent to the

same; I will delay no man for money or malice, and will

conduct myself as a lawyer according to the best of may

knowledge and discretion with all good fidelity as well as

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