Section 2
SEC. 2. Sections one hundred and thirty-three, one hundred and thirty-four, and one hundred and thirty-eight of the Revised Administrative Code are hereby amended to read as follows: "SEC. 133. The Supreme Court; quorum of the Court; designation of Judges of the Court of Appeals to sit in Supreme Court; number of Justices necessary to reach a decision.—The Supreme Court of the Philippines shall consist of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices, which shall sit m bane m the hearing and determination of all cases within its jurisdiction. The presence of six Justices shall be necessary to constitute a quorum, except when the judgment of the lower court imposes the death penalty, in which case the presence of all Justices shall be necessary to constitute quorum. In the absence of a quorum, the Court shall stand ipso facto adjourned until such time as the requisite number shall be present, and a memorandum showing this fact shall be inserted by the clerk in the minutes of the Court. “If on account of illness, absence, or incapacity upon any of the grounds mentioned in section eight of Act Numbered One hundred and ninety, of any of the Justices of the Court, or, whenever, by reason of temporary disability of any Justices of the Court, Justice thereof or of vacancies, occurring therein, the requisite number of Justices necessary to constitute a quorum or to render a judgment in any given case, as heretofore provided, is not present, the President of the Philippines, upon the recommendation of the Chief Justice, may designate such number of Judges of the Court of Appeals, as may be necessary, to sit temporarily as Justices of said Court, in order to form a quorum, or until a judgment in said case is reached: Provided, however, That no Judge of the Court of Appeals may be designated to act in any case in the decision of which he has taken part. "The concurrence of at least four Justices of the Court shall be necessary for the pronouncement of a judgment. However, for the purpose of declaring a law or a treaty unconstitutional, at least five Justices must concur. When the necessary majority, as herein provided, to declare a law or a treaty unconstitutional cannot be had, the Court shall so declare, and in such case the validity or constitutionality of the act or treaty involved shall be deemed upheld. "Whenever the judgment of the lower court imposes the death penalty, the case shall be heard and determined by all the Justices of the Court, and the unanimous decision of all of such Justices shall be necessary for the pronouncement of a judgment imposing the death penalty. When the Court fails to reach a unanimous decision as herein provided, the penalty next lower in degree than the death penalty shall be imposed. "SEC. 133-A. Place of holding sessions.—The Supreme Court shall hold its sessions in the City of Manila. "SEC. 134. Appointment of Justices of the Supreme Court.—The Chief Justice and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines, with the consent of the Commission on Appointments of the National Assembly. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall be so designated in his commission; and the Associate Justices shall have precedence according to the dates of their respective commissions, or, when the commissions of two or more of them bear the same date, according to the order in which their commissions may have been issued by the President of the Philippines. "SEC. 134-A. Vacancy in office of Chief Justice.—In case of a vacancy in the office of Chief Justice of the Supreme " ° Court, or of his inability to perform the duties and powers of his office, they shall 'devolve upon the Associate Justice who is first in precedence, until such disability is removed, or another Chief Justice is appointed and duly qualified. This provision shall apply to every Associate Justice who succeeds to the office of Chief Justice. "SEC. 138. Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.—The Supreme Court shall have such original jurisdiction as may be possessed and exercised by the Supreme Court of the Philippines at the time of the approval of this Act, including cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls. "The Supreme Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction to review, revise, reverse, modify or affirm, on appeal, certiorari or writ of error, as the law or rules of court may provide, final judgments and decrees of inferior courts as herein provided, in— "(1) All cases in which the constitutionality or validity of any treaty, law, ordinance, or executive order or regulation is in question; "(2) All cases involving the legality of any tax, impost, assessment or toll, or any penalty imposed in relation thereto; "(3) All cases in which the jurisdiction of any inferior court is in issue; "(4) All criminal cases in which the penalty imposed is death or life imprisonment; "(5) All civil cases in which the value m controversy exceeds twenty-five thousand pesos, or in which the title or possession "of real estate exceeding in value the sum of twenty-five thousand pesos, to be ascertained by the oath of a party to the cause or by other competent evidence, is involved or brought in question ; "(6) All other cases in which only errors or questions of law are involved."