Short answer. Yes, until the Court of Appeals gives due course to the petition. Section 8 of Rule 42 lets the Regional Trial Court approve compromises, order execution pending appeal under Rule 39, permit indigent litigants' appeals, and allow withdrawal of the appeal, alongside orders that do not involve matters litigated on appeal.
What the law says
before the Court of Appeals gives due course to the petition, the Regional Trial Court may issue orders for the protection and preservation of the rights of the parties which do not involve any matter litigated by the appeal, approve compromises, permit appeals of indigent litigants, order execution pending appeal in accordance with section 2 of Rule 39, and allow withdrawal of the appeal
Rule 42, Section 8 — Perfection of appeal; effect thereof. Read the full provision →
What the law says
The Regional Trial Court loses jurisdiction over the case upon the perfection of the appeals filed in due time and the expiration of the time to appeal of the other parties.
Rule 42, Section 8 — Perfection of appeal; effect thereof. Read the full provision →
Filing your petition does not immediately strip the RTC of every power
Perfecting your appeal has a real effect on the RTC's authority: The Regional Trial Court loses jurisdiction over the case upon the perfection of the appeals filed in due time and the expiration of the time to appeal of the other parties. But Section 8 carves out a window before that loss of jurisdiction becomes total, and specific powers survive within it.
What the RTC can still do, and when
Section 8 lists exactly what remains available: before the Court of Appeals gives due course to the petition, the Regional Trial Court may issue orders for the protection and preservation of the rights of the parties which do not involve any matter litigated by the appeal, approve compromises, permit appeals of indigent litigants, order execution pending appeal in accordance with section 2 of Rule 39, and allow withdrawal of the appeal. Both actions you asked about — approving a compromise and ordering execution pending appeal — are named directly.
Why the timing matters so much here
These RTC powers are tied to a specific window: before the Court of Appeals gives due course to the petition. Once the Court of Appeals does give due course, that window closes, and the case moves fully into the appellate court's hands. Whether the RTC can still act on a compromise or execution pending appeal in your case depends on where the petition currently stands in that sequence.
Why this window exists at all
The powers preserved during this window are limited to matters that either protect the parties' rights without touching what the appeal will decide, or that the rules specifically name — compromises, indigent appeals, execution pending appeal, and withdrawal. That scope keeps the RTC from ruling on the substance the Court of Appeals is being asked to review, while still allowing practical matters to move forward instead of stalling entirely until the appellate court acts.