The developer then questioned the award of civil liability, arguing that jurisdiction over the civil aspect of the case belonged to the HLURB. The Supreme Court found that the civil liability of the developer did not arise out of a crime, but from the parties’ contractual obligations. Since the dispute involved a condominium developer and a buyer, jurisdiction over the civil aspect fell exclusively with the HLURB’s authority. THE SUPREME COURT’S CLARIFICATIONAcquittal from a criminal case does not necessarily mean that the accused is free from civil liability (Dominguez v. People, G.R. This being the case, the Regional Trial Court had no jurisdiction to rule on the civil liability of the developer.