Section 2. Petition to Court of First Instance for relief from the
judgment or other proceeding thereof. When a judgment order is entered, or
any other proceeding is taken against a party in a Court of First Instance
through fraud, accident, mistake, or excusable negligence, he may file a
petition in such court and in the same case praying that the judgment, order or
proceeding be set aside.
The procedural change in Rule 38 is in line with Rule 5, prescribing
uniform procedure for Municipal and Regional Trial Courts[13] and designation
of Municipal/Metropolitan Trial Courts as courts of record.[14]
Third, the procedure in the CA and the Supreme Court are governed by
separate provisions of the Rules of Court.[15] It may, from time to time, be
supplemented by additional rules promulgated by the Supreme Court through
resolutions or circulars. As it stands, neither the Rules of Court nor the Revised
Internal Rules of the CA[16] allows the remedy of petition for relief in the CA.
There is no provision in the Rules of Court making the petition for relief
applicable in the CA or this Court. The procedure in the CA from Rules 44 to
55, with the exception of Rule 45 which pertains to the Supreme Court,
identifies the remedies available before said Court such as annulment of
judgments or final orders or resolutions (Rule 47), motion for reconsideration
(Rule 52), and new trial (Rule 53). Nowhere is a petition for relief under Rule
38 mentioned.
If a petition for relief from judgment is not among the remedies available
in the CA, with more reason that this remedy cannot be availed of in the
Supreme Court. This Court entertains only questions of law. A petition for relief
raises questions of facts on fraud, accident, mistake, or excusable negligence,
which are beyond the concerns of this Court.
Nevertheless, even if We delve into the merits of the petition, the same
must still be dismissed. The late filing of the petition for review does not
amount to excusable negligence. Petitioners lack of devotion in discharging his
duty, without demonstrating fraud, accident, mistake or excusable negligence,
cannot be a basis for judicial relief. For a claim of counsels gross negligence to
prosper, nothing short of clear abandonment of the clients cause must be shown.