Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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* SECOND DIVISION.
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CAGUIOA, J.:
The Case
This is a Petition for Review on Certiorari (Petition) filed
under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court against the Decision1
dated October 19, 2015 (assailed Decision) and Resolution2
dated May 17, 2016 (assailed Resolution) in C.A.-G.R. CV
No. 03414-MIN rendered by the Court of Appeals-Cagayan
de Oro City (CA) Twenty-First Division and Special Former
Twenty-First Division, respectively.
The assailed Decision and Resolution stem from an
appeal from the Decision3 dated July 15, 2013 issued by the
Regional
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Sometime in August 1989,4 respondents verbally agreed
to sell the disputed property to petitioners for P35,000.00.
After making an initial payment,5 petitioners took
possession of the disputed property and built their family
home thereon.6 Petitioners subsequently made additional
payments, which, together with their initial payment,
collectively amounted to P29,690.00.7
However, despite respondents’ repeated demands,
petitioners failed to pay their remaining balance of
P5,310.00.8 This prompted respondents to refer the matter
to the Office of the Barangay Chairman
9
of Barangay Magugpo, Tagum City (OBC).
Before the OBC, the parties signed an Amicable
Settlement dated August 24, 1992, bearing the following
terms:
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4 Rollo, p. 26.
5 The amount of the initial payment and the date on which it was paid
cannot be ascertained from the records.
6 Rollo, p. 17.
7 Id. Stated as P29,960.00 in the CA’s Decision.
8 Id.
9 Id.
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Petitioners failed to pay within the period set forth in
the Amicable Settlement.11
On January 14, 2009, or nearly 17 years after the
expiration of petitioners’ period to pay their remaining
balance, respondents served upon petitioners a “Last and
Final Demand” to vacate the disputed property within 30
days from notice. This demand was left unheeded.12
RTC’s Proceedings
Consequently, on March 12, 2009, respondents filed a
complaint for recovery of possession and damages
(Complaint) before the RTC.13 Respondents alleged, among
others, that petitioners had been occupying the disputed
property without authority, and without payment of rental
fees.14
In their Answer, petitioners admitted that they failed to
settle their unpaid balance of P5,310.00 within the period
set in the Amicable Settlement. However, petitioners
alleged that
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10 Id., at p. 26.
11 Id., at p. 18.
12 Id., at pp. 18, 55.
13 Id., at p. 52.
14 Id., at p. 18.
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In so ruling, the RTC characterized the oral agreement
between the parties as a contract to sell. The RTC held that
the consummation of this contract to sell was averted due
to petitioners’ failure to pay the purchase price in
full.18 Hence the RTC held that ownership over the
disputed property never passed to petitioners.19
Petitioners filed a Motion for Reconsideration, which the
RTC denied.20
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15 Id., at p. 5.
16 Id., at p. 18.
17 As quoted in the CA’s Decision, id., at p. 19.
18 Id., at p. 5.
19 As narrated in the CA’s Decision, id., at p. 20.
20 Id., at p. 5.
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CA’s Proceedings
Aggrieved, petitioners brought the case to the CA via
ordinary appeal. Therein, petitioners argued that the oral
agreement they had entered into with respondents was not
a contract to sell but rather, a contract of sale which had
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The CA affirmed the findings of the RTC anent the
nature of the contract entered into by the parties.25 In
addition, it rejected petitioners’ invocation of the Maceda
Law. According to the CA, to allow petitioners to seek
protection under said
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21 Id., at p. 20.
22 An Act to Provide Protection to Buyers of Real Estate on
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law for the first time on appeal would violate the tenets of
due process and fair play.26
Petitioners filed a Motion for Reconsideration which was
later denied through the assailed Resolution.
Thus, the present Petition now prays that the Court: (i)
reverses the judgment of the CA and RTC; and (ii) directs
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The Issues
The Petition calls on the Court to resolve the following
issues:
1. Whether the CA erred when it affirmed the RTC’s
Decision characterizing the oral agreement between
the parties as a contract to sell;
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Q: If you can recall, did [petitioners] comply with the [oral] agreement
to pay you P35,000.00?
A: At that time, [petitioners] gave me only P15,000.00.
Q: Other than the P15,000.00 (sic) if you can recall, did they pay you?
A: x x x [Petitioners] has a rattan furniture, they made us a chair and it
costs about P14,600.00.
Q: In short, Miss witness, please tell us how much amount (sic)
[petitioners] paid you?
A: According to their total, they paid me P29,690.00.
[Respondent Loreta’s] testimony — that at the moment the
[oral] agreement was entered into by the parties, [petitioners]
“will buy that property” — suggests that the contract of sale
was expected to be entered into at some future date when a
condition has been fulfilled. In this case, that condition
appears to be the full payment of the purchase price. The Court
notes that this testimony was not controverted. In their Brief,
[petitioners] merely counter with
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the bare insistence that what the parties entered into verbally was a contract of
sale.30 (Emphasis supplied)
According to the CA, the foregoing finding is further
bolstered by clause 6 of the Amicable Settlement, to which
petitioner Antonio expressed his assent. Clause 6 reads:
The CA’s finding is erroneous.
Article 1458 of the Civil Code defines a contract of sale:
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Based on the foregoing distinctions, the Court finds, and
so holds, that the oral agreement entered into by the
parties constitutes a contract of sale and not a contract to
sell.
A contract of sale is consensual in nature, and is
perfected upon the concurrence of its essential
requisites,34 thus:
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Contrary to the CA’s findings, neither respondent
Loreta’s testimony nor clause 6 of the Amicable Settlement
supports the conclusion that the parties’ agreement is not a
contract of sale, but only a contract to sell — the reason
being that it is not evident from said testimony and clause
6 that there was an express agreement to reserve
ownership despite delivery of the disputed property.
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thereof.
Article 1478. The parties may stipulate that ownership in
the thing shall not pass to the purchaser until he has fully
paid the price.
In accordance with the cited provisions, ownership of the
disputed property passed to petitioners when its possession
was transferred in their favor, as no reservation to the
contrary had been made.
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Article 1191 of the Civil Code39 lays down the remedies
that the injured party may resort to in case of breach of a
reciprocal obligation — fulfillment of the obligation or
rescission thereof, with damages in either case.
Thus, in a contract of sale, the vendor’s failure to pay
the price agreed upon generally constitutes breach, and
extends to the vendor the right to demand the contract’s
fulfillment or rescission.40
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A reading of Article 1592 in conjunction with Article
1191 thus suggests that in the absence of any stipulation to
the contrary, the vendor’s failure to pay within the period
agreed upon shall not constitute a breach of faith, so long
as payment is made before the vendor demands for
rescission, either judicially, or by notarial act.
Hence, in Taguba v. Peralta,42 (Taguba) the Court held
that slight delay in the payment of the purchase
price does not serve as a sufficient ground for the
rescission of a sale of real property:
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The Court applied the foregoing principles in the
subsequent case of Dignos v. Court of
44
Appeals, (Dignos) where it resolved to grant respondent
therein an additional period within which to settle his
outstanding balance of P4,000.00, considering that he “was
delayed in payment only for one month.”45 It is worth
noting that in Dignos, the Court granted the vendee an
additional period to pay the balance, despite the fact that
no grace period had been stipulated upon by the parties
therein, as in Taguba.
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46 Rollo, p. 5.
47 Id.
48 Article 1144 provides:
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The following actions must be brought within ten years from the time
the right of action accrues:
(1) Upon a written contract;
(2) Upon an obligation created by law;
(3) Upon a judgment.
49 716 Phil. 267; 703 SCRA 439 (2013).
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——o0o——
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** Designated Senior Associate Justice per Section 12, R.A. No. 296,
The Judiciary Act of 1948, as amended.
*** Designated additional member per Special Order No. 2587 dated
August 28, 2018.
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