Facts:

Petitioner City of Manila assessed taxes for the taxable period from January to December 2002 against the
private respondents SM Mart, Inc. Ace Hardware, et al. In addition to the taxes purportedly due from
private respondents pursuant to Section 14, 15, 16, 17 of the Revised Revenue Code of Manila (RRCM),
said assessment covered the local business taxes. private respondents were constrained to pay the P
19,316,458.77 assessment under protest.
Subsequently, private respondents filed before the RTC of Pasay City a complaint for Refund or Recovery
of Illegally and/or ErroneouslyCollected Local Business Tax Prohibition with Prayer to Issue TRO and
Writ of Preliminary Injunction saying that Section 14, 15, 16, 17 of RRCM were violative of double taxation
under Sec. 143(h) Local Government Code. The RTC granted private respondents application for a writ of
preliminary injunction.
Petitioners filed an MR but the RTC denied it. Petitioners then filed a special civil action for certiorari with
the CA but the CA dismissed petitioners petition for certiorari holding that it has no jurisdiction over the
said petition. The CA ruled that since appellate jurisdiction over private respondents complaint for tax
refund, which was filed with the RTC, is vested in the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA), pursuant to its expanded
jurisdiction under Republic Act No. 9282 (RA 9282), it follows that a petition for certiorari seeking
nullification of an interlocutory order issued in the said case should, likewise, be filed with the CTA.

Issue/s:
W/N the CTA has jurisdiction over a special civil action for certiorari assailing an interlocutory(see notes)
order issued by the RTC in a local tax case. (YES, the case was already moot and academic because
apparently there was already a final and executory decision in the RTC and the parties did not inform
the Court. In any case the SC still ruled on it because it is a settled principle to resolve cases capable
of repetition )

Held:
Yes. The CTA has jurisdiction.
The SC agreed with the ruling of the CTA since the appellate jurisdiction for tax refund is vested in the
CTA. Petition for Certiorari seeking nullification of an interlocutory order issued in the case should likewise
be filed in CTA because to rule otherwise would lead to an absurd situation where 2 courts decides on the
same case.

In order for any appellate court to effectively exercise its appellate jurisdiction, it must have the authority
to issue, among others, a writ of certiorari. In transferring exclusive jurisdiction over appealed tax cases to
the CTA, it can reasonably be assumed that the law intended to transfer also such power as is deemed
necessary, if not indispensable, in aid of such appellate jurisdiction.

This is consistent with the ruling of the SC in the case of J.M. Tuason & Co., Inc. v. Jaramillo, et al. which
stated that if a case may be appealed to a particular court or judicial tribunal or body, then said court or
judicial tribunal or body has jurisdiction to issue the extraordinary writ of certiorari, in aid of its appellate
jurisdiction. This principle was also affirmed in De Jesus v. Court of Appeals where the Court stated that
a court may issue a writ of certiorari in aid of its appellate jurisdiction if said court has jurisdiction to
review, by appeal or writ of error, the final orders or decisions of the lower court.

Notes:
Interlocutory is a legal term which can refer to an order, sentence, decree, or judgment, given in an
intermediate stage between the commencement and termination of a cause of action, used to provide a
temporary or provisional decision on an issue.