Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
[No.L3693.Julio29,1950]
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Querubinvs.Querubin
todiadeunmenornoesunadecisionfinal.Porsunaturalezanoes
firme.Estasujetoacambioscomocambianlascircunstancias.
custodia.Lavitalytrascendentalcuestindelporvenirdelaniaes
superioratodaconsideracin.
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Querubinvs.Querubin
paraconocerdelacausa,lasparteshancomparecidoydiscutidoel
asuntoenelfondo.Algunasvecesseconcedecomoprivilegiopero
nocomoestrictoderecho.Lacortesapedidanohasidoreconocida
por este Tribunal cuando declar que los derechos y deberes de
familia,estado,condicinycapacidadlegaldelaspersonasserigen
porlasleyesdeFilipinasynoporlasdeAmerica.
APELACINcontraunasentenciadelJuzgadodePrimeraInstancia
deIlocosSur.Hilario,J.
LoshechosaparecenrelacionadosenladecisindelTribunal.
ManuelA.Argelenrepresentacindelrecurrenteyapelante.
MaximinoV.Belloenrepresentacindelrecurridoyapelado.
PABLO,M.:
SilvestreQuerubinesdeCaoayan,IlocosSur,depadresfilipinos.En
1926semarchalosEstadosUnidosconelobjetodeestudiarpero
conelpropsitodevolverdespusasupasnatal.Obtuvoelttulo
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LosAngelesdictunaordeninterlocutoriadisponiendolosiguiente:
"Itisthereforeordered,adjudgedanddecreedthattheinterlocutoryjudgment
of divorce hereinbefore entered on February 27, 1948, in Book 1891, page
319, be and the same is hereby modified in the following particulars in
connectionwiththecustodyoftheminorchildofthepartiesonly:
"(1) The care, custody and control of the minor child of the parties,
Querubina Querubin, is hereby awarded to defendant and
crosscomplainants
"(2) Saidchildistobemaintainedinaneutralhome,subjecttotheright
ofreasonablevisitationonthepartofbothpartiestothisaction
"(3) Each party shall have the right to take said child away from said
neutral home but plaintiff and crossdefendant is restrained from
takingsaidchildtoherplaceofresidence
"(4) Each party is restrained from molesting the other, or in any way
interfering with the other's right of reasonable visitation of said
child
"(5) Each party is restrained from removing the child from the State of
California without first securing the permission of the court said
parties are further restrained from keeping the child out of the
CountyofLosAngelesformorethanonedaywithoutfirstsecuring
theconsentofthecourt."
"UnderinterlocutorydecreeofMarch7,1949,thechild,agirlnow3years
old, was granted to deft husband, but the child was to be kept in a neutral
homebothpartiesweregivenreasonablevisita
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Querubinvs.Querubin
tionandbothwererestrainedfromremovingthechildoutofthestate.Deft
has taken the child with him to the Philippine Islands. At time of trial
custodywasapparentlydeniedptfbecauseshewasthenlivingwithanother
man. She is now married to this man and they have a well equipped home.
Ptf appears to be a devoted mother. She has one child, the issue of her
presentmarriage,andisalsocaringforachildthatwasabandonedbycertain
friends of hers. Ptf's husband is regularly and permanently employed.
Witnessestestifiedinbehalfoftheptfinreferencetohermotherlyqualities
andtheconditionofherhome.Shevisitedthechildinquestionsufficiently
when the child was in the neutral home and brought her toys and other
articles.Serviceoftheordertoshowcausewasmadeondeft'sattorneysof
record.
"Theinterlocutorydecreeismodifiedsoastoprovidethatcustodyofthe
child shall be awarded to ptf and deft shall have the right of reasonable
visitation.Deftshallpayptfforthesupportofthechild$30eachmonthon
the1stdaythereof,commencingJan.1950."
EneldadelavistadeestacausadehabeascorpusenIlocosSur,el
recurrido declar que nunca intent cambiar su ciudadana que
cuando vino al pas tena unos P2,000 de ahorro que tres semanas
despus de su arribo recibi oferta para ensear con sueldo P250
mensualenelcolegioestablecidoporelDr.SobrepeaenVillasis,
Pangasinn que nunca se le ha privado de patria potestad por
sentencia judicial, ni declarado ausente de Filipinas, ni sujeto a
interdiccin civil. Segn el juzgado a quo, el recurrido es de
irreprochableconducta.
En 10 de febrero de 1950 la recurrente Margaret Querubin, por
mediodesuabogado,presentenelJuzgadodeprimerainstanciade
IlocosSurunasolicituddehabeascorpusreclamandolacustodiade
su hija Querubina, alegando como fundamento el decreto
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"Theruleisofcommonknowledgethatthedefinitivejudgmentofacourtof
another state between the same parties on the same cause of action, on the
meritsofthecaseisconclusive,butitmustbeadefinitivejudgmentonthe
merits only. Where the judgment is merely interlocutory, the determination
of the question by the court which rendered it did not settle and adjudge
finallytherightsoftheparties."(NationalParkBankvs.OldColonyTrust
Co.,186N.Y.S.,717.)
"AsalreadystatedtheMinnesotadecree,totheextentthatitisfinaland
notsubjecttomodification,isentitledtotheprotectionofthefullfaithand
credit clause of the federal Constitution and must be enforced in this state.
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If, however, a part of the Minnesota decree in not final, but is subject to
modificationbythecourtwhichrendered
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Querubinvs.Querubin
it, then neither the United States Constitution nor the principle of comity
compels the courts of this state to enforce that part of the decree for no
court other than the one granting the original decree could undertake to
administerreliefwithoutbringingaboutaconflictofauthority."(Levinevs.
Levine,187Pac.,609.)
"A judgment rendered by a competent court, having jurisdiction in one
state, is conclusive on the merits in the courts of every other state, when
madethebasisofanactionandthemeritscannotbereinvestigated.Ourown
SupremeCourtsoholds.Cookvs.Thornhill,13Tex.293,65Am.Dec.63.
Butbeforesuchajudgmentrenderedinonestateisentitledtoacceptance,in
the courts of another state, as conclusive on the merits, it must be a final
judgmentandnotmerelyaninterlocutorydecree.FreemanonJudgment,Sec.
575Baughvs.Baugh,4Bibb(7Ky.)556Brinkleyvs.Brinkley,50N.Y.
184, 10 Am. Rep. 460 Griggs,vs.Becker, 87 Wis. 313', 58 N. W. 396."
(.Walkervs.Garlandetal.,235S.W.,1078.)
Engeneral,undecretodedivorcioencomendandolacustodiadeun
hijo del matrimonio a uno de los cnyuges se respeta por los
juzgadosdeotrosestados"atthetimeandunderthecircumstances
of its rendition but that such a decree has no controlling effects in
another state as to facts or conditions arising subsequently to the
date of the decree and the courts of the latter state may, in proper
proceedings, award the custody otherwise upon proof of matters
subsequenttothedecreewhichjustifythechangeintheinterestof
thechild."(20A.L.R.,815.)
Enelcasopresentelascircunstanciashancambiado.Querubina
yanoestenlosngelessinoenCaoayan,IlocosSur.Estabajoel
cuidadodesupadre.HayunadistanciaenormedesdeLosAngelesy
elpresentedomiciliodelamenoryelcostodelpasajehastaaquella
ciudad sera muy elevado, y aun es posible que est f uera del
alcance de la recurrente. No hay pruebas de que ella est en
condiciones de pagar los gastos de viaje de la menor y del que la
acompae.Ellanoesunpaquetedecigarrillosquesepuedeenviar
porcorreoaLosngeles.
No constaquelascircunstancias que se daban en noviembre de
1949 en Los Angeles, prevalecan en el mismo estado hasta el
momentoenquesevilacausaenelJuzgadode
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unasentenciadictadaporuntribunaldejurisdiccincompetentede
unpasextranjero,enelquelasparteshancomparecidoydiscutido
un asunto en el fondo, ser reconocida y puesta en vigor en
cualquier otro pas extranjero." Pero teniendo en cuenta el artculo
311 del Cdigo de Procedimiento Civil que dispone que "la
sentencia puede ser rechazada mediante prueba de falta de
competencia,odehabersidodictadasinlaprevianotificacinala
parte,oquehuboconnivencia,fraudeoerrormanifiestodederecho
o de hecho," concluy: "En virtud de esa Ley cuando una persona
tratadehacercumplirunasentenciaextranjera,eldemandadotiene
derecho a ejercitar cualquier defensa de esas, y si se llegara a
demostrar que existe propiamente alguna de ellas, destruir los
efectos de la sentencia," Revoc la decision del juzgado inferior y
declar y fall que "la sentencia dictada por el Tribunal de
Hongkong, contra la demandada, constituy un error manifiesto de
hecho y de derecho, y, por tal razn, no debe exigirse su cumpli
mientoenlasIslasFilipinas."
Siseconcedelasolicitud,lamenorestarabajoelcuidadodesu
madre que fu declarada judicialmente culpable de infidelidad
conyugal vivira 'bajo un techo juntamente con el hombre que
deshonrasumadreyofendiasupadrejugaraycreceraconel
frutodelamoradulterinodesumadrellegaraalapubertadconla
idea de que una mujer que fu infiel a su marido tiene derecho a
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custodiarasuhija.Ensemejantemedioambientenopuedecriarsea
una nia de una manera adecuada: si llegara a saber durante su
adolescencia que su padre ha sido traicionado por su madre con el
hombre con quien vive, esa nia vivira bajo una impresin de
inferioridadmoraldeincalculablesconsecuencias,yporellonunca
serafelizysi,bajolainfluenciadesumadre,llegaraacreerquela
infidelidad de una esposa es slo un incidente tan pasajero como
cambiardetocado,laniairaporelcaminodelaper
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VOL.87,JULY29,1950 135
Querubinvs.Querubin
"A consideration of all the facts and circumstances leads to the conclusion
that comity does not require the courts of this state, regardless of the well
beingofthechild,tolendtheiraidtotheenforcementofthelowadecreeby
returningWinifredtothecustodyofhergrandmother.Achildisnotachattel
to which title and the right of possession may be secured by the decree of
anycourt.Ifthedecreehadbeenrenderedbyadomesticcourtofcompetent
jurisdiction, it would not have conclusively established the right to the
custody of the child. In a contest between rival claimants, this court would
havebeenfree,notwithstandingthedecree,toawardthecustodysolelywith
aneyetothechild'swelfare."(Stateexrel.Aldridgevs.Aldridge,204N.W.
324.)
"Onhabeascorpusbythemothertoobtainpossessionfromthefatherof
two children aged four and six years, whose custody she alleged had been
awarded her in divorce proceedings in another state, it appeared that the
motherwaswithoutproperty,andhadnomeansofsupportsaveherpersonal
earningsof$15permonth,wasinpoorhealth,andlivedwithhermother,in
immoralsurroundings,andthatthefatherwasanindustriousandsoberman,
earning$100permonth.Held,thatthewelfareofthechildrenwastheonly
thingtobeconsidered,andajudgmentawardingtheircustodytothemother
shouldbereversed."(Kentzlervs.Kentzler,28Pac.,370.)
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Larecurrente,comoltimorecurso,invocalacomityofnations.La
reciprocidad,lacortesaentrenacionesnoesabsoluta.Rigecuando
hay tratado y hay igualdad de legislacin. Se adopta la doctrina de
reciprocidadcuandoel
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"Onthequestionofcomity,thiscourtsaidinthehabeascorpuscaseofInre
Stockman,71Mich.180,38N.W.876:
" 'Comity cannot be considered in a case like this, when the future welf
are of the child is the vital question in the case. The good of the child is
superior to all other considerations. It is the polar star to guide to the
conclusioninallcasesofinfants,whetherthequestionisraiseduponawrit
of habeas corpus or in a court of chancery.'" (Ex parte Leu, 215 N. W.,
384.)
Yahemosvistoquelaordeninterlocutoriacediendolacustodiadela
menoralarecurrente est en pugna con las disposiciones expresas
de la legislacin vigente en Filipinas. En el primer decreto y en el
enmendatorio se encomend la custodia de la menor al padre y se
prohibi,enlaordenenmendada,alamadrellevaralamenorasu
casaporqueestabaotravezenrelacionesilegalesconotrohombre.
Peroelltimodecretoenmendatorio,contrarioalsentidodejusticia,
a la ley, y a las buenas costumbres, encomend la custodia de la
menoralaquefuesposainfielporqueyaestabacasadaconquien
cometi adulterio. Y bajo la doctrina de la comity of nations, la
recurrente contiende que debe cumplirse en Filipinas ese decreto.
Opinamosqueporlasvariasrazonesarribaexpuestas,lapretension
esinsostenible.
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VOL.87,JULY29,1950 137
Muyotvs.Cabrera
Seconfirmalasentenciaapelada.Larecurrentepagarlascostas.
Ozaeta,Bengzon,Montemayor,yReyes,MM.,estnconformes.
TUASON,J.:
Iconcurintheresult.
Seconfirmalasentencia.
________________
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