Facts:
Aurora Alcantara-Daus, hereinafter petitioner, purchased a parcel of land described as Lot No. 4786 of the Cadastral Survey of San Manuel, Municipality of San Manuel, Pangasinan, by a
Deed of Absolute Sale dated December 6, 1975, executed by one
Rodolfo de Leon; petitioner alleged continuous, public, peaceful and open possession and appropriation of the produce of the land. The property had been part of the estate of Marcelino de Leon and was claimed by respondents
Spouses Hermoso and Socorro de Leon as having been inherited by
Hermoso de Leon by virtue of an earlier
Deed of Extrajudicial Partition; respondents alleged that many purported conveyances prepared by the late Atty. Florencio Juan were not intended by them, that Hermoso’s signature in the Partition and Quitclaim in favor of Rodolfo was forged, and that Rodolfo later sold the land to petitioner. Respondents filed a Complaint for annulment of documents and title, ownership, possession, injunction, preliminary injunction, restraining order and damages on February 24, 1993. The Regional Trial Court (Branch 48) of Urdaneta, Pangasinan, presided by Judge Alicia B. Gonzalez-Decano, rendered judgment for petitioner on August 23, 1994, holding respondents’ claim barred by
laches and treating the notarized Partition as presumptively authentic. The Court of Appeals, in a Decision dated February 9, 2001, reversed the RTC, found the Partition to have been forged, declared the Deed of Absolute Sale and the Partition null and void and T.C.T. No. T-31262 invalid, upheld T.C.T. No. 42238 in favor of respondents, and eliminated certain awards; its Resolution of August 31, 2001 denied petitioner’s motion for reconsideration. Petitioner sought review under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court, and the Supreme Court rendered the present decision on June 16, 2003.
Issues:
Whether the
Deed of Absolute Sale dated December 6, 1975 executed by Rodolfo de Leon in favor of petitioner was perfected and binding upon the parties; whether the evidentiary weight of the
Deed of Extrajudicial Partition with Quitclaim in favor of Rodolfo de Leon was overcome by respondents’ evidence; whether petitioner’s possession of the land was in
good faith sufficient to confer ownership by prescription; and whether respondents’ action filed February 24, 1993 had prescribed or was barred by
laches.
Ruling:
Ratio:
Doctrine: