LARA, Arnette A.

1D Persons

SAYSON et al., petitioners v. COURT OF APPEALS, DELIA SAYSON, EDMUNDO

SAYSON, & DORIBEL SAYSON, respondents
G.R. No. 89224-25 || January 23, 1992
Civil Code, Article 981. Should children of the deceased and descendants of other
children who are dead, survive, the former shall inherit in their own right, and the latter
by right of representation.

Facts: Eleno and Rafaela Sayson begot five children: Mauricio, Rosario, Basilisa, Remedios, and
Teodoro who married Isabel Bautista. When Teodoro and Isabel died intestate, their properties
were left in the possession of Delia, Edmundo, and Doribel, who claim to be their children.
Teodoro’s siblings together with Isabel's mother, then filed a complaint for the partition and
accounting of the intestate estate of the couple. The action was resisted by the Respondents,
who alleged successional rights to the disputed estate as the decedents' lawful descendants.

Respondents filed their own complaint, this time for the accounting and partition of the
intestate estate of Eleno and Rafaela. They asserted that Delia and Edmundo were the adopted
children and Doribel was the legitimate daughter of Teodoro and Isabel. As such, they were
entitled to inherit Teodoro's share in his parents' estate by right of representation.

The RTC decided in favor of private respondents in both cases. On appeal, the CA modified the
lower court’s decision by disqualifying Delia and Edmundo from inheriting from the estate of
the deceased Eleno and Rafaela, but affirmed all other respects. Hence, Petitioners filed for
review by certiorari.

Issue: Whether or not Doribel, Delia, and Edmundo may inherit from their alleged parents and
grandparents.

Held: The SC affirmed the CA’s decision in toto.

There is no question that as the legitimate daughter of Teodoro and thus the granddaughter of
Eleno and Rafaela, Doribel has a right to represent her deceased father in the distribution of the
intestate estate of her grandparents. But a different conclusion must be reached in the case of
Delia and Edmundo, to whom the grandparents were total strangers. While it is true that the
adopted child shall be deemed to be a legitimate child and have the same right as the latter,
these rights do not include the right of representation. The relationship created by the adoption
is between only the adopting parents and the adopted child and does not extend to the blood
relatives of either party.