8/9/2015 G.R. No.

L-7188

TodayisSunday,August09,2015

RepublicofthePhilippines
SUPREMECOURT
Manila

ENBANC

G.R.No.L7188August9,1954

Inre:WillandTestamentofthedeceasedREVERENDSANCHOABADIA.
SEVERINAA.VDA.DEENRIQUEZ,ETAL.,petitionersappellees,
vs.
MIGUELABADIA,ETAL.,oppositorsappellants.

ManuelA.Zosa,LuisB.Ladonga,MarianoA.ZosaandB.G.Advinculaforappellants.
C.delaVictoriaforappellees.

MONTEMAYOR,J.:

OnSeptember6,1923,FatherSanchoAbadia,parishpriestofTalisay,Cebu,executedadocumentpurportingto
behisLastWillandTestamentnowmarkedExhibit"A".ResidentoftheCityofCebu,hediedonJanuary14,1943,
inthemunicipalityofAloguinsan,Cebu,wherehewasanevacuee.HeleftpropertiesestimatedatP8,000invalue.
OnOctober2,1946,oneAndresEnriquez,oneofthelegateesinExhibit"A",filedapetitionforitsprobateinthe
CourtofFirstInstanceofCebu.Somecousinsandnephewswhowouldinherittheestateofthedeceasedifheleft
nowill,filedopposition.

Duringthehearingoneoftheattestingwitnesses,theothertwobeingdead,testifiedwithoutcontradictionthatinhis
presence and in the presence of his cowitnesses, Father Sancho wrote out in longhand Exhibit "A" in Spanish
whichthetestatorspokeandunderstoodthathe(testator)signedonhelefthandmarginofthefrontpageofeach
ofthethreefoliosorsheetsofwhichthedocumentiscomposed,andnumberedthesamewithArabicnumerals,and
finally signed his name at the end of his writing at the last page, all this, in the presence of the three attesting
witnessesaftertellingthatitwashislastwillandthatthesaidthreewitnessessignedtheirnamesonthelastpage
after the attestation clause in his presence and in the presence of each other. The oppositors did not submit any
evidence.

ThelearnedtrialcourtfoundanddeclaredExhibit"A"tobeaholographicwillthatitwasinthehandwritingofthe
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testatorandthatalthoughatthetimeitwasexecutedandatthetimeofthetestator'sdeath,holographicwillswere
notpermittedbylawstill,becauseatthetimeofthehearingandwhenthecasewastobedecidedthenewCivil
Code was already in force, which Code permitted the execution of holographic wills, under a liberal view, and to
carryouttheintentionofthetestatorwhichaccordingtothetrialcourtisthecontrollingfactorandmayoverrideany
defectinform,saidtrialcourtbyorderdatedJanuary24,1952,admittedtoprobateExhibit"A",astheLastWilland
TestamentofFatherSanchoAbadia.Theoppositorsareappealingfromthatdecisionandbecauseonlyquestions
oflawareinvolvedintheappeal,thecasewascertifiedtousbytheCourtofAppeals.

The new Civil Code (Republic Act No. 386) under article 810 thereof provides that a person may execute a
holographicwillwhichmustbeentirelywritten,datedandsignedbythetestatorhimselfandneednotbewitnessed.
Itisafact,however,thatatthetimethatExhibit"A"wasexecutedin1923andatthetimethatFatherAbadiadiedin
1943,holographicwillswerenotpermitted,andthelawatthetimeimposedcertainrequirementsfortheexecution
ofwills,suchasnumberingcorrelativelyeachpage(notfolioorsheet)inlettersandsigningonthelefthandmargin
by the testator and by the three attesting witnesses, requirements which were not complied with in Exhibit "A"
becausethebackpagesofthefirsttwofoliosofthewillwerenotsignedbyanyone,notevenbythetestatorand
werenotnumbered,andastothethreefrontpages,theyweresignedonlybythetestator.

Interpreting and applying this requirement this Court in the case of In re Estate of Saguinsin, 41 Phil., 875, 879,
referringtothefailureofthetestatorandhiswitnessestosignonthelefthandmarginofeverypage,said:

....Thisdefectisradicalandtotallyvitiatesthetestament.Itisnotenoughthatthesignaturesguaranteeing
authenticityshouldappearupontwofoliosorleavesthreepageshavingbeenwrittenon,theauthenticityof
allthreeofthemshouldbeguaranteedbythesignatureoftheallegedtestatrixandherwitnesses.

AndinthecaseofAspevs.Prieto,46Phil.,700,referringtothesamerequirement,thisCourtdeclared:

From an examination of the document in question, it appears that the left margins of the six pages of the
document are signed only by Ventura Prieto. The noncompliance with section 2 of Act No. 2645 by the
attesting witnesses who omitted to sign with the testator at the left margin of each of the five pages of the
documentallegedtobethewillofVenturaPrieto,isafataldefectthatconstitutesanobstacletoitsprobate.

WhatisthelawtoapplytotheprobateofExh."A"?MayweapplytheprovisionsofthenewCivilCodewhichnot
allowsholographicwills,likeExhibit"A"whichprovisionswereinvokedbytheappelleepetitionerandappliedbythe
lower court? But article 795 of this same new Civil Code expressly provides: "The validity of a will as to its form
dependsupontheobservanceofthelawinforceatthetimeitismade."Theaboveprovisionisbutanexpressionor
statementoftheweightofauthoritytotheaffectthatthevalidityofawillistobejudgednotbythelawenforceatthe
timeofthetestator'sdeathoratthetimethesupposedwillispresentedincourtforprobateorwhenthepetitionis
decidedbythecourtbutatthetimetheinstrumentwasexecuted.Onereasoninsupportoftheruleisthatalthough
the will operates upon and after the death of the testator, the wishes of the testator about the disposition of his
estateamonghisheirsandamongthelegateesisgivensolemnexpressionatthetimethewillisexecuted,andin
reality, the legacy or bequest then becomes a completed act. This ruling has been laid down by this court in the
caseofInreWillofRiosa,39Phil.,23.Itisawholesomedoctrineandshouldbefollowed.

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Ofcourse,thereistheviewthattheintentionofthetestatorshouldbetherulingandcontrollingfactorandthatall
adequate remedies and interpretations should be resorted to in order to carry out said intention, and that when
statutespassedaftertheexecutionofthewillandafterthedeathofthetestatorlessentheformalitiesrequiredby
lawfortheexecutionofwills,saidsubsequentstatutesshouldbeappliedsoastovalidatewillsdefectivelyexecuted
accordingtothelawinforceatthetimeofexecution.However,weshouldnotforgetthatfromthedayofthedeath
ofthetestator,ifheleavesawill,thetitleofthelegateesanddeviseesunderitbecomesavestedright,protected
under the due process clause of the constitution against a subsequent change in the statute adding new legal
requirementsofexecutionofwillswhichwouldinvalidatesuchawill.Byparityofreasoning,whenoneexecutesa
willwhichisinvalidforfailuretoobserveandfollowthelegalrequirementsatthetimeofitsexecutionthenuponhis
death he should be regarded and declared as having died intestate, and his heirs will then inherit by intestate
succession,andnosubsequentlawwithmoreliberalrequirementsorwhichdispenseswithsuchrequirementsasto
execution should be allowed to validate a defective will and thereby divest the heirs of their vested rights in the
estatebyintestatesuccession.ThegeneralruleisthattheLegislaturecannotvalidatevoidwills(57Am.Jur.,Wills,
Sec.231,pp.192193).

Inviewoftheforegoing,theorderappealedfromisreversed,andExhibit"A"isdeniedprobate.Withcosts.

Paras, C.J., Pablo, Bengzon, Padilla, Reyes, A., Jugo, Bautista Angelo, Labrador, Concepcion and Reyes J.B.L.,
JJ.,concur.

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