DOCTRINE OF PRIMARY JURISDICTION

The doctrine of primary jurisdiction precludes the courts from resolving a controversy over which jurisdiction has initially been lodged with an administrative body of special competence. For instance, in agrarian reform cases, jurisdiction is vested in the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR); more specifically, in the Department of Agrarian Reform Adjudication Board (DARAB). (SPOUSES JESUS FAJARDO and EMER FAJARDO vs. ANITA R. FLORES, G.R. No. 167891, January 15, 2010, NACHURA, J.).