Name: Johnson A.

Yaplin 19-43675 Year/Block: 2nd year Block A

Case #2
The Director of Lands vs IAC and Acme Plywood & Veneer Co.
G.R. No. 73002
December 29, 1986
Narvasa, J.:

Facts:
Private respondent Acme Plywood & Veneer Co., Inc., a corp. represented by Mr. Rodolfo
Nazario, acquired from Mariano and Acer Infiel, members of the Dumagat tribe 5 parcels of
land. The possession of the Infiels over the land dates back before the Philippines was discovered
by Magellan. Land sought to be registered is a private land pursuant to RA 3872 granting
absolute ownership to members of the non-Christian Tribes on land occupied by them or their
ancestral lands, whether with the alienable or disposable public land or within the public domain.
Private respondent has introduced more than P45M worth of improvements. The ownership and
possession of the land sought to be registered was duly recognized by the government when the
Municipal Officials of Maconacon, Isabela have negotiated to the donated part of the land as the
townsite.

Thus, IAC affirmed the decision of CFI in favor the Acme Plywood & Veneer Co. Inc.,

Issues:
1. Whether or not the land is already a private land
2. Whether or not the constitutional prohibition against their acquisition by private corporations
or associations applies.

Held:
1. Yes. It was already acquired, by operation of law not only a right to a grant, but a grant of the
Government, for it is not necessary that a certificate of title should be issued in order that said
grant may be sanctioned by the courts, an application therefore is sufficient and had already
ceased to be of the public domain and had become private property, at least by presumption. The
application for confirmation is mere formality, the lack of which does not affect the legal
sufficiency of the title as would be evidenced by the patent and the Torrens title to be issued
upon the strength of said patent. The effect of the proof, wherever made, was not to confer title,
but simply to establish it, as already conferred by the decree, if not by earlier law

2. No. If it is accepted as it must be-that the land was already private land to which the Infiels
had a legally sufficient and transferable title on October 29, 1962 when Acme acquired it from
said owners, it must also be conceded that Acme had a perfect right to make such acquisition The
only limitation then extant was that corporations could not acquire, hold or lease public
agricultural lands in excess of 1,024 hectares