(Motion to Dismiss)
(CAPTION)
MOTION TO DISMISS
COMES NOW the Respondent, _____________ Inc., through the undersigned
counsel, appearing especially and solely for this purpose, and to this
Honorable Court, most respectfully moves for the dismissal of the Complaint
on the following ground that THE HONORABLE COURT HAS NOT ACQUIRED
JURISDICTION OVER THE PERSON OF THE DEFENDING PARTY.
DISCUSSION
A cursory reading of the Summons and Return of Service would readily show
that the copies of the Summons dated 08 May 2001 and the Complaint and
its corresponding annexes were allegedly delivered and tendered upon the
Movant _____________ INC. through a certain Maria Clara alleged to be the
authorized personnel of Movant _____________ INC., Bacolod City on 29 August
2001. Copies of the said Summons and Return of Service that form part of
the records on the case are hereto pleaded as integral part of this Motion;
9
Said service of Summons, however, constitutes an improper service of
summons amounting to lack of jurisdiction over the person of the herein
Movant Corporation _____________ INC. since the summons was improperly
served upon a person who is not one of those persons named or enumerated
in Section 11, Rule 14 of the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure upon whom
service of summons shall be made;
The material provision on the service of summons provided for in Section 11
of Rule 14 of the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure reads as follows:
"Section 11. Service upon domestic private juridical entity.- When the
defendant is a corporation, partnership or association organized under the
laws of the Philippines with a juridical personality, service may be made on
the president, managing partner, general manager, corporate secretary,
treasurer, or in-house counsel" (underscoring ours)
It bears no further emphasis that the service of the summons was done on a
person who is not included in the exclusive enumeration provided for under
the said Section, as service was done only on an alleged authorized
personnel of the Movant Corporation;
This new revision of the Rules of Court for the service of summon is a clear
departure from the old rule as stated in Section 13, Rule 14 of the Rules of
Court which provided that:
"SECTION 13.Service upon private domestic corporation or partnership. - If
the defendant is a corporation organized under the laws of the Philippines or
