PNB vs. Garcia
PNB vs. Garcia
PNB vs. Garcia
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SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED VOLUME 724 8/4/15, 5:45 PM
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* SECOND DIVISION.
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BRION,J.:
We resolve this petition for review on certiorari[1]
assailing the decision[2] dated September 26, 2007 and the
resolution[3] dated May 6, 2008 of the Court of Appeals
(CA) in C.A.-G.R. CV No. 71356.
These challenged CA rulings reversed and set aside the
decision of the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 23,
Roxas, Isabela, dismissing Civil Case No. Branch 23-500-96
for lack of cause of action.
The Factual Background
The facts of the case, gathered from the records, are
briefly summarized below.
The subject of the present case is a parcel of residential
land with all its improvements (subject property) located in
Barrio Olango, Mallig, Isabela. The land is covered by
Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) No. T-44422 under the
name of Jose Garcia Sr. (Jose Sr.) who acquired the
subject property during his marriage with Ligaya
Garcia. Ligaya died on January 21, 1987.
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[1] Under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court, Rollo, pp. 36-54.
[2] Id., at pp. 10-33; penned by Associate Justice Edgardo F. Sundiam,
and concurred in by Presiding Justice Conrado M. Vasquez, Jr., and
Associate Justice Monina Arevalo-Zenarosa.
[3] Id., at pp. 31-33.
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erty passed on to Jose Sr., while the other half went to Jose
and his children as co-owners and as forced heirs of his
deceased spouse. Without the consent of the children, the
trial court ruled that the conjugal property could only be
transferred or encumbered to the extent of Jose Sr.s share
in the conjugal partnership, plus his share as an heir in the
other half pertaining to the estate of his deceased spouse.
The RTC nevertheless declared that by virtue of the SPA
executed by Nora, Jose Jr., Bobby and Jimmy in this suit,
they are already estopped from questioning the mortgage
and from alleging lack of consent or knowledge in the
transaction. It held Jose Sr. liable as an accommodation
party and upheld the petitioner banks right to collect the
debt.
The respondents disagreed with the RTC ruling and
elevated the case to the CA via an ordinary appeal.
The Ruling of the CA
On September 26, 2007, the CA upheld the trial courts
finding that the subject property was conjugal, but
reversed and set aside its ruling in so far as it declared
valid and binding the Amendment of Real Estate Mortgage
between the petitioner bank, on one hand, and the spouses
Garcia and Jose Sr., on the other hand, with respect to
respondents Nora, Jose Jr., Bobby and Jimmy. Relying on
the Courts ruling in Nufable v. Nufable,[4] the CA ruled
that the encumbrance Jose Sr. made over the entire
conjugal property, without his childrens conformity, was
null and void because a mere part owner could not alienate
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[4] 369 Phil. 135, 146; 309 SCRA 692, 700 (1999). The Supreme Court
ruled that: a co-owner does not lose his part ownership of a co-owned
property when his share is mortgaged by another co-owner without the
formers knowledge and consent as in the case at bar. It has likewise been
ruled that the mortgage of the inherited property is not binding against
co-heirs who never benefited.
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valid.
The Comment
The respondents state that the issues raised by
petitioner bank are essentially factual; hence, they are
beyond the competence of this Court in a petition for
review. They submit that in a certiorari petition under Rule
45 of the Rules of Court, only questions of law may be
entertained because the Court is not a trier of facts.
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[5] Century Iron Works, Inc. v. Banas, G.R. No. 184116, June 19, 2013,
699 SCRA 157, 166.
[6] Fuentes v. Court of Appeals, 335 Phil. 1163, 1168; 268 SCRA 703,
705 (1997).
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[7] Rollo, pp. 19-20.
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[8] Go v. Yamane, 522 Phil. 653, 663; 489 SCRA 107, 117 (2006).
[9] Tarrosa v. De Leon, G.R. No. 185063, July 23, 2009, 593 SCRA 768,
779.
[10] Bucoy v. Paulino, 131 Phil. 790, 800; 23 SCRA 248, 262 (1968).
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[11] Dewara v. Lamela, G.R. No. 179010, April 11, 2011, 647 SCRA
483, 490.
[12] Supra note 6.
[13] Art. 175.The conjugal partnership of gains terminates:
(1)Upon the death of either spouse;
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While under Article 493 of the New Civil Code, each co-owner
shall have the full ownership of his part and of the fruits and
benefits pertaining thereto and he may alienate, assign or mortgage
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it, and even substitute another person in its enjoyment, the effect
of the alienation or the mortgage with respect to the co-
owners, shall be limited, by mandate of the same article, to
the portion which may be allotted to him in the division
upon the termination of the co-ownership. He has no right
to sell or alienate a
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[14] Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. v. Pascual, G.R. No. 163744, February
29, 2008, 547 SCRA 246, 259.
[15] Aguirre v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 122249, January 29, 2004, 421
SCRA 310, 323-324.
[16] 197 Phil. 913, 917; 112 SCRA 237, 240 (1982).
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[17] Supra note 14.
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Judgment affirmed.
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