ACTING'REGISTRARS'v'RTC'

(6)
(7)

G.R.'No.'81564'''''''''''''''April'26,'1990!
ACTING'REGISTRARS'OF'LAND'TITLES'AND'DEEDS'OF'PASAY'CITY,'PASIG'AND'
MAKATI,'METRO'MANILA,'petitioners,!!
vs.!
THE' REGIONAL' TRIAL' COURT,' BRANCH' 57,' IN' MAKATI,' METRO' MANILA'
PRESIDED' OVER' BY' THE' HONORABLE' JUDGE' FRANCISCO' X.' VELEZ,' AND' THE'
INTESTATE'ESTATE'OF'THE'LATE'DELFIN'CASAL,'represented'by'DOMINGO'C.'
PALOMARES,'ADMINISTRATOR,'respondents.!
!
G.R.'No.'90176'''''''''''''''April'26,'1990!
THE' INTESTATE' ESTATE' OF' THE' LATE' DELFIN' CASAL,' represented' by'
DOMINGO'C.'PALOMARES,'ADMINISTRATOR,'petitioner,!!
vs.!
HONORABLE' CONRADO' VASQUEZ,' JR.,' Presiding' Judge,' BRANCH' 118,' RTC,'
RICARDO'P.'SANTIAGO,'ET'AL.,'respondents.!

!
!
The! petitioners! **! charge! Judge! Velez,! with! GAOD! in! issuing! an! order!
authorizing!the!ESTATE!OF!CASAL,!through!PALOMARES,!to!perform!acts!
of! ownership! over! Hacienda! de! MAricaban! (2,574Oha,! spread! out! in!
various!parts!of!Makati,!Pasig,!Taguig,!Pasay!City,!and!Paraaque)!!
!
FACTS'

November! 5,! 1985,! Domingo! Palomares,! as! administrator! of!

the!heirs!of!Delfin!Casal,!commenced!suit!with!the!RTC!Makati,!
Metro! Manila! for! declaratory! relief,! QOT,! cancellation! of! TCT!
No.!192,!and!cancellation!of!entries!upon!OCT!No.!291.!!
!
*The$ complaint$ was$ subsequently$ amended$ to$ implead$ the$ RP$ and$ the$

1.!To!order!such!subdivision!and/or!individual!survey!or!surveys!!
2.!To!sell,!exchange,!lease!or!otherwise!dispose!(of)!any!area!or!areas!or!
portion! or! portions! thereof,! subject! to! the! approval! of! the! Intestate!
Estate! Court,! to! cover! expenses! for! the! payment! of! taxes! to! which! the!
property! is! subject,! as! well! as! expenses! of! administration! and! for! the!
protection!of!the!integrity!of!the!said!lands.!

ROD$of$Pasig,$Makati,$and$Pasay$City$as$respondents.$$

!
Palomares! had! earlier! come! to! this! Court! (February! 27,! 1985)! on! a!
similar! petition,! and! in! addition,! to! direct! the! RoD! to! issue! a! duplicate!
owner's! copy! of! OCT! No.! 291,! embracing! allegedly! Hacienda! de!
Maricaban,!in!lieu!of!the!(alleged)!lost!one.!DENIED!for!lack!of!merit.!!

!
!
ALLEGATIONS!
(1) Oct! 1,! 1906,! the! Court! of! Land! Registration! (James! Ostrand,!
Presiding!Judge)!confirmed!the!title!of!Dolores!Pascual!Casal!y!
Ochoa,!a!native!of!Madrid,!Spain,!over!the!subject!parcel;!!
!
(2) Oct'17,'1906,'the'ROD'Rizal'issued'OCT'No.'291'in'Dolores'
name;''
!
(3) upon! her! death,! and! successive! deaths! of! her! heirs,! the!
property! devolved! on! her! great! grandchildren! (Gerardo,!
Reynaldo,!Lolita,!and!Erlinda);!!
!
(4) no!conveyances!or!dispositions!of!any!kind!have!been!allegedly!
made!upon!the!parcel;!!
!
(5) TCT' No.' 192,' which' covers' the' same' landholding,' is'
allegedly'spurious'and'inexistent;''
!
(6) Landgrabbing! of! the! State! itself,! by! placing! 27,213,255! square!
meters! thereof! under! a! military! reservation! (Fort! McKinley!
now! Fort! Bonifacio),! and! 50! has! thereof! (by! P! No! 423,! P! No!!
192);!!
!
(7) any!and!all!holders!of!any!and!all!TCTs!emanating!therefrom!or!
from!TCT!No.!192,!are!null,!void,!and!of!no!force!and!effect;!and!!
!
(8) as! a! consequence! thereof,! the! heirs! of! Dolores! Casal! suffered!
various!damages!and!attorney's!fees.!
!
PETITIONERS!!
(1) the! estate! of! Dolores! Casal! (or! Delfin! Casal,! her! grandchild)! is!
not!a!juridical!person!authorized!by!law!to!bring!suit;!!
(2) the!ROD!of!Makati,!Pasig,!and!Pasay!City!are!not!the!real!parties!
in! interest,! but! rather,! the! registered! owners! over! which! the!
court!had!not!acquired!jurisdiction;!FATAL!
(3) OCT!No.!291!has!long!been!cancelled;!!
(4) issuance! of! DOCT! No.! 291! had! been! denied! because! the! land!
embraced! therein! had! been! validly! delivered! to! the!
Government;!!
(5) Already!denied!by!SC;!as!a!consequence,!res$judicata$is!a!bar;!

prescription!has!also!set!in;!and!!
the!Casal's!claims!can!not!validly!override!the!titles!of!innocent!
purchasers!for!value.!
!
Subsequently,! the! petitioners! alleged! that! Dolores! Casal! had!
conveyed! the! property!to!the! US! Govt! in! 1906! and! the! Manila!
Railroad!Company!!
!
!RTC:! granted! Palomares! prayer! in! the! OMNIBUS! MOTION! in!
order!to!safeguard!the!integrity!of!the!land!embraced!!OCT!291,!
thereby!authorizing!Domingo!C.!Palomares:!

11! days! later,! another! order:! issuance! of! a! Writ! of! Execution!
implementing!the!Order!!
APPEAL!DENIED,!interlocutory!order.!!
In!the!meantime,!the!private!respondent!came!to!this!Court!on!
certiorari! alleging! that! on! December! 15,! 1987,! in! connection!
with! Sp.! Proc.! No.! PO2993! of! the! Regional! Trial! Court,! Branch!
118,!Pasay!City,!entitled!"In!the!matter!of!the!Intestate!Estate!of!
the!Late!Fortunato!Santiago!and!Mariano$Pantanilla!Crisanta!P.!
Santiago,!et!al.,!Petitioners,"!Judge!Conrado!Vasquez,!Jr.!issued!
an! order! disposing! of! certain! parcels! which! the! private!
respondent! claims! as! forming! part! and! parcel! of! Hacienda$ de$
Maricaban.!
!

ISSUES'
(1)!Is!OCT!No.!291!still!valid!and!subsisting?!
(2)!Did!the!respondent!judge,!in!issuing!the!orders,!dated!October!12!and!
October! 23,! 1987,! commit! a! grave! abuse! of! discretion! equivalent! to! lack!
or!excess!of!jurisdiction?!
!
!
RULING'
'
I.Is$OCT$No.$291$still$valid$and$subsisting?!
The!Court!takes!judicial!notice!of!the!fact!that!the!hectarage!embraced!by!
TCT!No.!192!(OCT!No.!291)!consists!of!Government!property.!!
!
The!ff!things!persuade!the!Court:!!
(1)!the!decrees!of!Proclamations!Nos.!192!and!435;!!
(2)!the!incontrovertible!fact!that!OCT!No.!291!has!been!duly!cancelled;!!
!
Proclamation' No.' 192' ("RESERVING! FOR! THE! VETERANS! CENTER! SITE!
PURPOSES!CERTAIN!PARCEL!OF!LAND!OF!THE!PUBLIC!DOMAIN!SITUATED!IN!THE!
PROVINCE!OF!RIZAL,!ISLAND!OF!LUZON")!and!Proclamation!No.!423!("RESERVING!
FOR!MILITARY!PURPOSES!CERTAIN!PARCELS!OF!THE!PUBLIC!DOMAIN!SITUATED!
IN!THE!MUNICIPALITY!OF!PASIG,!TAGUIG,!AND!PARAAQUE!PROVINCE!OF!RIZAL,!
AND!PASAY!CITY")!

!!

have! the! character! of! official! assertions! of! ownership,! and! the!
presumption! is! that! they! have! been! issued! by! right! of!
sovereignty! and! in! the! exercise! of! the! State's! dominical!
authority.!We!take!not!only!judicial!notice!thereof! 6!but!accept!
the!same!as!a!valid!asseveration!of!regalian!light!over!property.!

!
With! respect! to! the! premises! occupied! by! the! Libingan! ng! mga! Bayani,!
Ninoy! Aquino! International! Airport,! Nayong! Pilipino,! the! Population!
Commission,!National!Science!and!Development!Board,!and!the!National!
Housing!Authority,!we!do!not!have!the!slightest!doubt!that!they!stand!on!
Government! property! by! sheer! presumption! that,! unless! otherwise!
shown,!what!the!Government!occupies!is!what!the!Government!owns.!
!
While! there! is! no! presumption! that! property! is! Government! property!
until! otherwise! shown,! because! the! law! recognizes! private! ownership,!
thus:!
Art.!425.!Property!of!private!ownership,!besides!the!patrimonial!property!
of!the!State,!provinces,!cities,!and!municipalities,!consists!of!all!property!
belonging!to!private!persons,!either!individually!or!collectively.!7!
we! find! hard! evidence! on! record! that:! (1)! the! property! covered! by! OCT!
No.! 291! had! been! conveyed! to! the! United! States! of! America;! (2)! it! had!

been! later! ceded! to! the! Republic! of! the! Philippines,! and! (3)! as! a!
consequence,! OCT! No.! 291! was! cancelled! upon! final! order! of! Judge!
Ostrand.!
!
Be! that! as! it! may,! the! private! respondent! in! G.R.! No.! 81564! is! pressed!
hard! to! establish! the! fact! that! portions! of! the! property,! especially! the!
open! spaces! referred! to! in! the! lower! court's! writ! of! injunction! and! the!
private! respondent's! manifestation! of! December! 14,! 1989,! and! which!
open! spaces! it! claims! to! be! outside! Maricaban,$ are! indeed! outside!
Maricaban! (or! OCT! 291).! With! respect,! however,! to! parts! thereof! on!
which! Fort! Bonifacio,! Libingan! ng! mga! Bayani,! Ninoy! Aquino!
International! Airport,! Nayong! Pilipino,! Population! Commission! National!
Science!and!Development!Board,!and!National!Housing!Authority!sit,!the!
hands!of!the!private!respondent!are!tied.!
!
Claims! that! Judge! Ostrand's! decree! was! a! counterfeit! is! not! only! selfO
serving,! it! finds! no! support! from! the! records.! The! presumptions! is! "that!
official! duty! has! been! regularly! performed,"! 8! and! the! burden! is! on! the!
private!respondent!to!prove!irregular!performance.!The!barren!insistence!
that!Judge!Ostrands!order!was!a!forgery!is!not!sufficient!to!overthrow!the!
presumption.! To! begin! with,! the! act! of! forgery! has! been! seasonably!
disputed! by! the! petitioners.! Secondly,! the! Acting! Registrar! of! Deeds! of!
Pasig,! who! supposedly! certified! to! the! fake! character! of! Judge! Ostrand's!
order,! has! himself! joined! the! other! petitioners! in! opposing! the!
reconveyance!sought.!
!
(b)'
The' decision' in' AC`G.R.' No.' 00293,' dismissing' the' private'
respondent's'petition'for'the'issuance'of'a'new'owner's'copy'of'OCT'
No.' 291,' a' dismissal' affirmed' by' this' Court' in' G.R.' No.' 69834,' also'
militates' against' the' return' of' the' property' to' the' heirs' of' Delfin'
Casal.!!
!
The! Appellate! Court's! judgment,! a! judgment! sustained! by! this! Court,!
operates!as,!at!the!very!least,!the!law!of!the!case!between!the!parties,!that!!
!
OCT' No.' 291' has' been' cancelled' and' the' land' covered' has' been'
conveyed'and'ceded'to'the'National'Government.!!
The! fact! that! ACOG.R.! CV! No.! 00293! dealt! with! a! petition! for! issuance! of!
lost!owner's!duplicate!copy!is!no!argument!because!be!that!as!it!may,!the!
private!respondent!can!not!rightfully!say!that!the!heirs!of!Delfin!Casal!still!
have!title!to!the!land.!If!it!can!not!secure!a!new!owner's!copy,!it!can!mean!
that!they!have!lost!title!thereto.!
!
Petitioner(Appellant- further- prays- for- other- just- and- equitablereliefs.****When! we! therefore! denied! that! petition,! we,! in! effect,! held! that!
reconstitution' (of' lost' duplicate' owner's' copy)' was' not' possible'
because'the'mother'title'(OCT'No.'291)'had'been'duly'cancelled.!And!
when! we! therefore! declared! OCT! No.! 291! to! have! been! cancelled,! we!
perished!all!doubts!as!to!the!invalidity!of!Mr.!Palomares'!pretenses!of!title!
to!Maricaban.!Our!judgment!was!conclusive!not!only!as!to!Mr.!Palomares,!
but!also!as!to!the!existing!status!of!the!property.!!
!
!
Did' the' respondent' judge,' in' issuing' the' order,' dated' October' 12,'
1987,' commit' a' grave' abuse' of' discretion' equivalent' to' lack' of'
excess'of'jurisdiction?'YES'
'
What! he! gave! away,! by! virtue! of! reconveyance,! was! property! that!
inalienably!belongs!to!the!Government!or!its!successors.!!
!
Worse,! he! gave! away! property! without! notice! to! the! actual! possessors,!
that! is,! the! present! registered! owner.! It! is! beyond! debate,! as! we! have!
indicated,! that! the! land! had! been,! since! the! cancellation! of! OCT! No.! 291,!
parcelled!out!to!a!succession!of!buyers!and!owners.!!
!
In!the!absence!of!notice,!it!acquired!no!jurisdiction!to!decree!redelivery!or!
reconveyance.! It! is! wellOestablished! that! owners! of! property! over! which!
reconveyance! is! asserted! are! indispensable' parties,! without! whom! no!
relief! is! available! and! without! whom! the! court! can! render! no! valid!
judgment.!!
'
Furthermore,! the! present! holders! of! the! land! in! question! are! innocent!
purchasers! for! value,! or! presumed! to! be! so! in! the! absence! of! contrary!
evidence,!against!whom!reconveyance!does!not!lie.!11!

(b)!
The!respondent!judge!can!not!conceal!his!faults!behind!arguments!that!he!
did! not! intend! to! convey! the! premises,! but! rather,! to! secure,! allegedly,!
vacant! portions! thereof! from! interlopers.! First,! this! is! not! stated! in! his!
order.! Second,! that! order! is! clear! and! unequivocal! that! Domingo!
Palomares!has!the!right!"[t]o!sell,!exchange,!lease!or!otherwise!dispose!of!
any!area!or!areas!or!portion!or!portions!thereof!.!.!.!"!12!Third!and!last,!the!
security! of! the! property! is! the! lookout! of! the! claimants,! and! not! the!
court's.!In!case!the!premises!the!respondent!judge's!injunctive!writ!have!
been!directed!belong!to!others,!let!them!air!their!plaints.!
!
(c)!
The! Court! is! also! agreed! that! the! challenged! order! was! issued! with! no!
benefit!of!trial!or!hearing.!The!private!respondent!can!not!validly!rely!on!
ACOG.R.! No.! 00293! as! the! "trial! or! hearing"! to! justify! the! issuance! of! its!
said! order,! in! the! first! place,! because! it! is! a! different! proceeding.! But!
above!all,!the!private!respondent!itself!says!that!ACOG.R.!CV!No.!00293!can!
not! be! made! a! basis! for! denying! reconveyance! because! "the! .! .! .! petition!
was! merely! for! the! issuance! of! a! new! owner's! duplicate! copy! .! .! .! 13!
Accordingly,!it!can!not!invoke!that!case!and!yet,!repudiate!its!effects.!It!is!
the!height!of!contradiction.!
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OMANDAM'v'CA'
G.R.'No.'128750.'January'18,'2001'
CARQUELO'OMANDAM'and'ROSITO'ITOM'petitioners,-vs.'COURT'OF'APPEALS,'BLAS'TRABASAS'and'AMPARO'BONILLA,'respondents.'

'
'
FACTS'

On! January! 29,! 1974,! the! Bureau! of! Lands! in! Pagadian! City!
issued!in!favor!of!Camilo' Lasola!Homestead!Patent!(No.!IXO6O
40)covering! a! Lot! (No.! 8736,! 23,985! sq.! m.)! in! Sagrada,!
Tambulig,!Zamboanga!del!Sur.!!
!
On! April! 28,! 1978,! the! RoD! issued! OCT! No.! PO22O690! in! his!
name.!

On! April! 28,! 1983,! Blas' Trabasas' bought' the' land! from! a!
Dolores'Sayson!who!claimed!she!was!the!owner!of!said!land.!!

In!1984,!Trabasas'discovered'that'Omandam'and'Itom'had'
occupied'the'land.!!

Meanwhile,! on! July! 19,! 1987,! Omandam! protested! Lasolas!

homestead! patent! before! the! Bureau! of! Lands! and! prayed! for!
cancellation!of!the!OCT.!!

Upon! Saysons! advice,! Trabasas! repurchased! the! land! from!

Lasola,!who!executed!a!deed!of!sale!dated!September!24,1987.!
On!August!9,1989,!Trabasas!acquired!a!new!TCT!

On! April! 16,1990,! spouses! Blas! Trabasas! and! Amparo! Bonilla!

filed! a! complaint! against! Omandam! and! Itom! for! recovery! of!
possession!and/or!ownership!of!the!land!with!the!RTC!Zambo!
Sur;! alleged! that! they! were! the! true! and! registered! owners! of!
the!land!and!Omandam!and!Itom!should!vacate!it.!

O&I:! that! they! purchased! the! land! from! one! Godofredo' Sela'
who'had'been'in'possession'for'almost'20'years.'

!
!

!
!
RULING'OF'THE'TRIAL'COURT'
'
1) Finding! the! defendants! to! have! equitable! right! to! the!
possession!of!the!land!in!litigation.!
2) sps!to!reconvey!the!title!of!the!land!under!litigation!in!the!name!
of!the!O&I!!
'
that! neither! the! sps! herein! nor! their! PII! were! ever! in! possession! of! the!
land.! Citing$ Director$ of$ Lands$ vs.$ Court$ of$ Appeals,$ and$ Padre$ vs.$ Court$ of$
Appeals:$that!the!sps!have!no!equitable!right!to!the!possession!of!the!land!
under!litigation.!!
!

Pending!sps!appeal!to!the!CA,!DENR!denied!Os!protest!with!the!
Bureau! of! Lands;! that! Omandam! failed! to! prove! that! Lasola,!
sps! PII,! committed! fraud! and! misrepresentation! in! acquiring!
the! patent,! hence! there! is! no! ground! for! its! revocation! and!
cancellation!of!its!corresponding!title.!
!
RULING'OF'THE'CA'
Reversed! the! TC.! That! O&Is! collateral! attack! on! the! homestead! title,! to!
defeat! sps! accion$publiciana,! was! not! sanctioned! by! law;! that! the! patent!
and! title! of! Camilo! Lasola,! PII,! had! already! become! indefeasible! since!
April!28,!1977;!and!that!petitioners!action!for!reconveyance!in!the!nature!
of! their! protest! with! the! Bureau! of! Lands! and! counterclaim! in! their!
answer! to! the! complaint! for! recovery! of! possession,! already! prescribed.!
MFR!DENIED.!!
!
ISSUE'
Who'has'the'right'to'the'land'
!
!
RULING'
Q! of! fact.! But! petitioners! claim! the! appellate! court! had! disregarded! or!
even! contradicted! our! holdings! in! the! cited! cases! of! Director! of! Lands! ,$
Abanilla,!and!Padre.!
!
1) that! a! void! title! may! be! cancelled.! A! title! over! a! disposable!
public! land! is! void! if! its! grantee! failed! to! comply! with! the!

2)

conditions! imposed! by! law.! Director$ of$ Lands$ vs.$ Court$ of$
Appeals!
!
the! indefeasibility! of! a! Torrens$ Title! cannot! be! used! as! a!
defense! in! an! action! for! cancellation! of! title! acquired! through!
fraud.!Director$of$Lands$vs.$Abanilla!

!
These! two! cases! refer! to! actions! for! cancellation! of! title! initiated! by! the!
government,!through!the!Solicitor!General,!after!a!finding!of!fraud!by!the!
DENR.!!
!
In!an!action!for!quieting!of!title,!the!court!may!determine!incidentally!the!
right!to!the!possession!thereof,!in!order!to!provide!complete!relief!to!the!
parties.! (Padre$ vs.$ Court$ of$ Appeals:refers! to! determination! of! rightful!
possession!in!possessory!actions.)!
!
trial'courts'jurisdiction'vis((vis-administrative'agencies.!!
Q:!What!is!the!effect!of!the!trial!courts!decision!in!a!possessory!action!on!
the! order! of! Bureau! of! Lands! regarding! a! homestead! application! and!
decision!of!the!DENR!on!the!protest!over!the!homestead!patent?!
!
CA141!as!amended,!sections!3!and!4!O!the!Director!of!Lands!primarily!and!
to! the! DENR! Sec! ultimately! the! authority! to! dispose! and! manage! public!
lands..! In! this! regard,! courts' have' no' jurisdiction' to' inquire' into' the'
validity'of'the'decree'of'registration'issued'by'the'Director'of'Lands.'
Only'the'DENR'Secretary'can'review,'on'appeal,'such'decree.!
!

RECALL:!Lasolas!homestead!application!was!approved!on!May!
21,!1968.!No!appeal!was!made!therefrom.!!

19! years! after! (July! 9,! 1987),! Omandam! filed! the! protest! with!
the!Bureau!of!Lands.!Thereafter,!spouses!instituted!the!present!
action! for! recovery! of! possession! and/or! ownership.! As!
mentioned!earlier,!the!trial!court!held!that!O&I!were!entitled!to!
a!declaration!of!equitable!possession!over!the!area!in!question.!
Said! trial! court! then! ordered! the! cancellation! of! sps! title! and!
the!issuance!of!a!new!one.!!
!
In! effect,! the! courts! order! reversed! the! award! made! by! the! Director! of!
Lands! in! favor! of! Lasola.! This! reversal! was! in! error,! for! the' proper'
administrative' agency,' the' DENR' under' CA' 141,' had' prior'
jurisdiction' over' the' patent' on' the' subject' matter,' which' is' the'
contested'homestead'area.!
!
DENRs' jurisdiction' over' public' lands' does' not' negate' the' authority'
of' courts' of' justice' to' resolve' questions' of' possession' and' their'
decisions' stand' in' the' meantime' that' the' DENR' has' not' settled' the'
respective'rights'of'public'land'claimants!
!
But!once!the!DENR!has!decided,!particularly!with!the!grant!of!homestead!
patent!and!issuance!of!an!OCT!and!then!TCT!later,!its!decision!prevails.!
!

The!parties!did!not!manifest!as!to!whether!an!appeal!was!made!
from!the!decision!of!the!Regional!Director!of!DENROIX.!!

From! the! said! Order! of! the! DENR! Regional! Director! up! to! the!
present,!five!years!have!lapsed.!From!this,!we!can!conclude!that!
no! appeal! has! been! made! and! that! the! DENR! decision!
dismissing! the! petitioners! protest! and! upholding! respondents!
right!on!the!contested!area!has!attained!finality.!
!
By! now! it! appears! indubitable! that,! spouses! Trabasas! and! Bonilla,! have!
been! duly! confirmed! in! their! right! to! possession! of! Lot! No.! 8736! as!
owners! thereof.! By! virtue! of! the! deed! of! sale! executed! by! OCT! holder!
Camilo!Lasola!as!early!as!September!24,!1987,!in!favor!of!Trabasas,!who!
then!secured!a!transfer!certificate!of!title!in!his!name,!sps!have!superior!
right! over! the! land! claimed! by! petitioners! Omandam! and! Itom.! The!
appellate! court! did! not! err! in! upholding! the! right! of! sps! and! in! ordering!
the!petitioners!to!vacate!and!surrender!the!land!to!said!respondents.!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!

ORTUA'v'ENCARNACION'

G.R.'No.'L`39919'''''''''''''January'30,'1934!
FORTUNATO'ORTUA,!petitionerOappellant,!!
vs.!
VICENTE'SINGSON'ENCARNACION,'Secretary'of'Agriculture'and'Commerce,'ET'
AL.,!respondentsOappellees.!

$
Case:' Ortua! seeks! the! issuance! of! a! writ! of! mandamus! directed! against!
Encarnacion,!for!the!purpose!of!compelling!them!to!give!due!course!to!his!
sale's!application!for!a!tract!of!public!land.!!
$
FACTS'

In!January,!1920,!Ortua!filed!an!application!with!the!Bureau!of!
Lands!for!the!purchase!of!a!tract!of!public!land!situated!in!the!
municipality!of!San!Jose,!Province!of!Camarines!Sur.!!
!

Following! an! investigation! conducted! by! the! Bureau! of! Lands,!

Ortua's! application! was! rejected,! allowing! him,! however,! to!
file' a' sale' or' lease' application' for' the' portion' of' the' land'
classified'to'be'suitable'for'commercial'purposes,!within!a!
period' of' 60' days' from' the' date' of' the' decision' and' upon'
payment'of'P3,000'for'accrued'rents.!!
!

2!MFRs!of!the!decision!DENIED.!!
!

Appeal! to! Ortua,! affirmed,! except! that! the! sum! of! P3,000! was!
reduced!to!P400.!
!
ISSUE'
WON!Ortua!may!purchase!the!land.!NO.!!
!
!
RULING'
!
Sec' 23and' 88,' Act' no' 2874' Public' Land' Act:' 1' Condition' for' the'
purchase' of' a' tract' of' public' agricultural' land' is' that' the' purchaser'
shall' be' a' citizen- of- lawful- age- of- the- Philippine- Islands- or- of- theUnited-States.-'
'

Fortunato!Ortua!in!his!application!stated!that!he!was!a!Filipino!
citizen,! but! the! Director! of! Lands! held! that! on! the! contrary,!
Ortua!was!a!Chinese!citizen.!
!

On! this! question,! the! Director! of! Lands! found! established! the!
following!facts:!Fortunato!Ortua!was!born!in!1885!in!Lagonoy,!
Camarines! Sur,! Philippine! Islands,! being! the! natural! son! of!
Irene!Demesa,!a!Filipina,!and!Joaquin!Ortua,!a!Chinese.!In!1896!
Fortunato!was!sent!to!China!to!study.!While!he!was!in!China!his!
father!and!mother!were!legally!married.!Fortunato!returned!to!
the!Philippines!in!1906,!that!is,!when!he!21!years!of!age.!
!
It! was! conceded! by! the! Director! of! Lands! that! presumptively!
Fortunato!Ortua'was'a'Philippine'citizen,'but'certain'acts'of'
Ortua' were' pointed' to' as' demonstrating' that' he' had'
forfeited'his'Philippine'citizenship.'!
'
O
Ortua! voluntarily! applied! for! a! landing! certificate! of!
residence! which! was! issued! by! the! Insular! Collector! of!
Customs!and!which!is!only!given!to!Chinese!persons.!!
O
when!Ortua!applied!for!the!registration!of!a!boat,!and!it!
was! denied! by! the! Insular! Collector! of! Customs! on! the!
ground! that! the! appellant! was! a! Chinese! citizen,! Ortua!
submitted!to!the!ruling.!
!
The' findings' of' the' Director' of' Lands' on' questions' of' facts' are'
conclusive.!!
!
Secretary$of$Agriculture$and$Commerce:$the$executive$officer$charged$with$
carrying$out$the$provisions$of$the$Public$Land$Law,$and$he$performs$this$
duty$through$the$Director$of$Lands$(sec.$3).$$
$
Subject$to$the$control$of$the$executive$head,$the$Director$of$Lands$is$by$law$
vested$with$direct-executive-control$over$land$matters,$"and$his$decisions$
as$ to$ questions$ of$ fact$ shall$ be$ conclusive- when- approved- by- theSecretary-of-Agriculture-and-Commerce."$(Sec.$4).$

!
The'Director'of'Lands'has'been'made'by'law'a'quasi`judicial'officer.!
As! such! officer! he! makes! findings! of! fact,! even! passes! upon! questions! of!
mixed! fact! and! law,! and! considers! and! decides! the! qualifications! of!

applicants!for!the!purchase!of!public!lands.!A!discretion'is!lodged!by!law!
in! the! Director! of! Lands! which' should' not' be' interfered' with.! The!
decisions!of!the!Director!of!Lands!on!the!construction!of!the!Public!Land!
Law!are!entitled!to!great!respect!by!the!courts.!
!
!
RULE:!a!decision!rendered!by!the!Director!of!Lands!and!approved$by$the$
Secretary$ of$ Agriculture$ and$ Commerce,$ upon! a! question! of! fact! is!
conclusive! and! not' subject' to' be' reviewed' by' the' courts,! in! the!
absence!of!a!showing!that!such!decision!was!rendered!in!consequence!of!
fraud,!imposition,!or!mistake,!other!than!error!of!judgment!in!estimating!
the! value! or! effect! of! evidence,! regardless! of! whether! or! not! it! is!
consistent! with! the! preponderance! of! the! evidence,! so' long' as' there' is'
some'evidence'upon'which'the'finding'in'question'could'be'made.!!
!
BUT' any' action' of' the' Director' of' Lands' which' is' based' upon' a'
misconstruction'of'the'law'can'be'corrected'by'the'courts.'
The! legislative! body! did! not! intend! to! remove! from! the! jurisdiction! of!
courts! all! right! to! review! decisions! of! the! Bureau! of! Lands! for! to! do! so!
would! be! to! attempt! something! which! could! not! be! done! legally.! Giving!
force! to! all! possible! intendments! regarding! the! facts! as! found! by! the!
Director!of!Lands,!yet!so!much!of!the!decision!of!the!Director!of!Lands!as!
relates!to!a!question!of!law!is!in!no!sense!conclusive!upon!the!courts,!but!
is!subject!to!review.!!
!
WON'the'question'of'law'arising'from'the'undisputed'evidence'was'
correctly'decided'by'the'Director'of'Lands.!!
!
Q:-should-Fortunato-Ortua-be-considered-to-be-a-Philippine-citizen-or-aChinese-citizen?-!
!
A:- On- the- facts- found- by- the- Director- of- Lands,- clear- error- of- lawresulted- in- not- considering- petitioner- a- Philippine- citizen- and- soqualified- under- the- Public- Land- Law- to- purchase- public- agriculturallands.!
Presumptively!it!is!admitted!that!he!is!a!Philippine!citizen.!More!correctly!
stated,!Fortunato!Ortua!had!a!sort!of!a!dual!citizenship,!and!had!it!within!
his! power! either! to! elect! to! become! a! Philippine! citizen! or! a! Chinese!
citizen.!!
!
We!doubt!very!much!if!it!could!be!found!that!Ortua!has!by!his!own!acts!
repudiated!his!Philippine!citizenship!and!chosen!Chinese!citizenship.!The!
Director! of! Lands! gave! too! much! prominence,! we! think,! to! two! minor!
facts,!susceptible!of!explanation.!!
!

When! Ortua! returned! from! China! at! the! age! of! 21,! it! was! the!
most!natural!thing!in!the!world!for!him!to!land!as!a!Chinese,!for!
this!would!facilitate!entry!and!obviate!complications.!!
!

Again,!when!Ortua!applied!for!the!registration!of!a!boat,!there!
may!have!been!any!number!of!reasons!why!he!did!not!care!to!
appeal!from!the!decision!of!the!Insular!Collector!of!Customs.!!
!

On!the!other!hand,!some!consideration!should!be!given!to!the!
intention!of!the!petitioner,!and!he'vigorously'insists'that'it'is'
his'desire'to'be'considered'a'Philippine'citizen.'!
'
o
He!has!taken!a!Filipino!name.!!
o
He! has! gone! into! business! and! has! improved! the!
property!here!in!question!to!a!great!extent.!!
!
There! has! been! no! implied! renunciation! of! citizenship,! because! the!
petitioner! has! been! domiciled! in! these! Islands! except! for! a! short! period!
during!his!infancy!when!he!temporarily!sojourned!in!China!for!study.!!
!
On!the!contrary,!he!states!that!he!has!always!considered!himself!to!be!a!
Filipino,!and!that!he!has!elected!to!remain!as!a!Philippine!citizen.!!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!

FIRMALO'v'TUTAAN'

G.R.'No.'L`35408'October'27,'1973'
MANUEL' FIRMALO,' ROSITA' FIRMALO' FRADEJAS,' EMILIA' FIRMALO' LANZONA,'
NENITA' FIRMALO' MORTEL,' THELMA' FIRMALO,' GUIA' FIRMALO' and' EMILIO'
FIRMALO,'petitioners,!!
vs.!
HON.' EDUARDO' C.' TUTAAN,' in' his' capacity' as' District' Judge,' Court' of' First'
Instance' of' Lanao' del' Norte,' Branch' IV' (Baroy)' but' holding' sessions' at' Iligan'
City;'HON.'TEODULO'C.'TANDAYAG,'also'in'his'capacity'as'District'Judge,'Court'
of' First' Instance' of' Lanao' del' Norte,' presiding' Branch' II,' City' of' Iligan;' ELIAS'
ANACLETO,' in' his' capacity' as' Deputy' Sheriff' of' Branch' IV,' Court' of' First'
Instance' of' Lanao' del' Norte,' City' of' Iligan;' WENCESLAO' TARUC,' FAUSTINO'
TARUC,' ANICETA' TARUC' MALOLOT,' ARTEMIO' TARUC,' RODOLFO' TARUC' and'
EPIFANIA'PACULBA'VDA.'DE'TARUC,'respondents.!

$
$
FACTS''

The! Firmalos! were! grantees! of! a! free' patent' title! covering!

more! than! 13! has! of! land! situated! in! Barrio! Demologan,!
Municipality!of!Bacolod,!Province!of!Lanao!del!Norte.!!
!
On! November! 5,! 1969,! Firmalos! brought! an! action! gainst! the!
the! Tarucs! for! "ownership,! possession! and! damages! with!
preliminary! mandatory! injunction,"! affecting! about! 9! hectares!
of!the!aforementioned!property.!!

A! WPI! was! issued! by! the! trial! court! upon! a! bond! of! P20,000,!
and!the!possession!of!the!property!was!effectively!transferred!
to!the!Firmalos.!!

Relying,! however,! on! a! final! judgment! in! their! favor! in! Civil!
Case!1218!of!the!same!court!adjudging!them!as!the!"equitable!
owners"!of!the!said!property,!the!Tarucs!succeeded!in!securing!
a!writ!of!execution!and!placing!themselves!in!possession!once!
more!of!the!disputed!land.!

The!Firmalos!immediately!sought!the!intervention!of!this!Court!
in!LO32651O52,!which!set!aside!as!being!null!and!void!the!said!
ruling,! together! with! the! writ! of! execution! and! the! order! of!
deriving!therefrom.!WPI!ordered!reinstated.!!

The!Firmalos!were!thus!placed!in!possession!of!the!property!in!
question!pending!decision!on!the!merits.!

Workmen's! Insurance! Co.,! Inc.,! (Firmalos! bondsman)! filed,!

with! the! conformity! of! the! counsel! for! the! Tarucs,! an! urgent!
motion!to!withdraw!and!have!its!bond!cancelled!on!the!ground!
of! the! nonOpayment! of! the! premiums! due! on! the! said! bond.!
Court! ordered! the! Firmales! to! pay! overdue! amortizations!
within!15!days!of!their!receipt!of!the!order!at!the!pain!of!having!
the!bond!cancelled.!

Tarucs! filed! an! unverified! urgent! motion! to! lift! and/or! to!
reconsider! the! PMI! then! in! force! or! to! place! the! property! in!
dispute!under!receivership!pending!adjudication!on!the!merits!
upon! the! ground! that! the! said! PMI! was! improvidently! issued!
and! not! only! contravenes! justice! and! equity! but,! more!
specifically,! contravenes! the! law! and! jurisprudence! on! the!
matter!..."!The!Firmalos!opposed.!!

The! Court! placed! the! property! in! dispute! under! receivership!

(deputy! sheriff! Elias! Anacleto! as! receiver)! and,! in! effect,!
removed!the!possession!thereof!from!the!Firmalos.!

PRESENT! PETITION.! Firmalos! prayer! for! TRO! granted.! and!

enjoined!the!respondents!from!enforcing!the!questioned!order!
(receivership)! and! "from! gathering! the! coconuts! on! the! land!
subject!of!the!litigation!and!from!selling!the!already!produced!
copras!in!favor!of!any!person!or!persons."!

!
!

!
ISSUE'
WON! Judge! Tutaan! may! alter! the! mandate! of! this! Court! directing! the!
reinstatement! of! the! WPI! and,! in! its! place,! institute! the! provisional!
remedy!of!receivership!over!the!property!disputed!by!the!parties.!
!
!
RULING''
'

!
The!PMI!which!was!issued!by!the!trial!court!was!later!ordered!reinstated!
after! it! had! been! quashed,! for! the! principal! reason! that! whereas! the!
Firmalos! have! in! their! favor! a! decree! of! registration! issued! by! the!
Director! of! Lands! covering! the! property! in! dispute,! the! Tarucs! do! not!
have!even!a!semblance!of!title!in!their!name,!upon!which!they!desperately!
relied!having!been!annulled!by!this!Court.!
!
This! brings! us! to! the! erroneous! notion! entertained! by! the! court! a$ quo,!
presided! by! the! judge,! that! the' remand' of' the' case' for' trial' on' the'
merits' warrants' an' inquiry' into' the' validity' of' the' decree' of'
registration' issued' by' the' Director' of' Lands' over' the' property' in'
dispute.!
!
The' decision' of' the' Director' of' Lands' may' be' annulled' or' reviewed'
only' in' a' direct' proceeding' and' not' collaterally' as' the' respondent'
judge'would'have'it'in'the'case'at'bar.'
Moreover,!the!patent!title!issued!in!favor!of!the!Firmalos!by!the!Director!
of! Lands! is! by! now! already$ indefeasible$ due$ to$ the$ lapse$ of$ one$ year$
following$ the$ entry$ of$ the$ decree$ of$ registration! (March! 28,! 1969! at! the!
latest! when! the! title! to! the! property! was! issued)! in! the! records! of! the!
register!of!deeds.'3'
!
only!two!basic!issues!stand!out!between!the!litigants:!!
1.
With! respect! to! the! title! of! ownership! over! the! property! !!
decided!in!favor!of!the!Firmalos.!!
!
the!Firmalos'!title!is!to!be!respected,!given!effect,!and!accorded!
due!recognition!unless!and!until!a!superior!title,!if!any!there!be,!
overtakes!the!same!
!
2.
relates!to!the!right!of!possession,!i.e.,!whether,!notwithstanding!
the! title! of! the! Firmalos,! the! Tarucs! have! any! right! of!
possession! over! the! property,! and,! if! they! have! none,! what!
liability,!if!any,!they!have!for!holding!the!property!illegally.!!
!
This!latter,!to!our!minds,!is!the!only!and!remaining!basic!issue!
that! could! properly! be! heard! when! we! remanded! the! original!
case!for!trial!on!the!merits.!
!
within! the! time! then! prescribed! by! the! respondent! Judge! Tandayag,! the!
Firmalos!duly!renewed!the!surety!bond!of!P20,000!in!their!favor!and!paid!
the!corresponding!premiums.!
!
Subsequent!to!the!submission!of!the!present!case!for!decision,!that!is,!on!
September!5,!1973,!the!Firmalos,!thru!counsel,!manifested!that!before!our!
restraining! orderwas! actually! served! upon! the! parties,! the! respondent!
Anacleto,! acting! as! receiver! for! the! court,! had! caused! coconuts! to! be!
gathered!from!the!disputed!property!and!converted!into!copra!which!was!
sold! for! P1,184.27.! With! the! result! arrived! at! by! us! in! this! decision,! it!
behooves!the!trial!court!to!hold!a!hearing!with!respect!to!the!proceeds!of!
the!sale!and!adjudge!disposition!thereof!in!a!manner!consistent!with!our!
pronouncements!herein.!
!
In!sum,!the!trial!court!has!no!power!to!alter!the!effect!of!our!final!decision!
in! LO32651O52! by! lifting! the! writ! of! preliminary! mandatory! injunction!
ordered! reinstated! by! us! and! substituting! in! its! place! a! receivership!
which! would! take! away! the! possession! of! the! property! in! dispute! from!
the!Firmalos,!pending!the!trial!on!the!merits!in!Civil!Case!IVO146.!
!