Magbanua vs.

Intermediate Appellate Court

Facts:

The plaintiffs filed a petition against the respondents all surenamed Perez alleging
that they are shared tenants of the defendants, and that the latter divert the flow of
water from their farm lots which caused the drying up of their landholdings and asked to
vacate their areas for they could not plant palay due to lack of water. The trial court
rendered a decision in favor to the plaintiffs and ordered the defendants to pay moral
and exemplary damages to the plaintiffs. The defendants appealed to the IAC which the
latter affirmed the appeal by deleting the award of moral and exemplary damages to be
awarded to the plaintiffs. Upon the reinstatement of the IAC, the trial court did not agree
to the appellate court in its decision because the former believe that as a shared
tenants, they are entitled to be maintained as agricultural lessees in peaceful cultivation
in their respective landholdings.

Issue:

WON the tenants of defendants were entitled to moral and exemplary damages.

Held:

The petition is granted and the decision under review is modified and each of the
plaintiffs is entitled to receive award of moral and exemplary damages by the
defendants .

Ratio:

Under the law, the landowners has an obligation to keep the tenant in the peaceful
and continuous cultivation of his landholding. In this case, it shows that the petitioners
were denied irrigation water for their farm lots in order to make them vacate their
landholdings. The defendants violated the plaintiff's rights and caused prejudiced to the
latter by the diversion of water. Under Article 2219 (10), the Civil Code permits the
award of moral damages for acts mentioned in Article 21 of the same Code which
provides, Any person who willfully causes loss or injury to another in a manner that is
contrary to morals, good customs or public policy shall compensate the latter for the
damage. The defendants acted in an oppressive manner which is contrary to the morals
of the petitioners and therefore, they are liable for the compensation to the latter.