Facts:

• Paulo Dilinila and Isabel Culaton filed an action in the Court of First Instance of the Province of La Union to recover the possession of a parcel of land and seek damages for its illegal detention.
• The plaintiffs presented evidence to prove their ownership of the land.
• The lower court found in favor of the plaintiffs and ordered the defendant, Manuel Sabado, to deliver possession of the land to them.
• The defendant appealed the judgment to the higher court.

Issue:

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Ruling:

• The court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and affirmed the judgment of the lower court.
• The defendant is ordered to d...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• The court based its decision on the following facts:

  1. The plaintiffs had previous litigation with Geronimo and Isidro Ballas regarding the land in question, and the litigation resulted in favor of the plaintiffs.
  2. During the pendency of the litigation, the defendant rendered some assistance to the plaintiffs, although the exact nature and extent of the assistance is not clear.
  3. After the litigation, the plaintiffs turned over a portion of the land to the defendant as compensation for his services. They agreed that the defendant would retain possession of the land for three or four years and pay himself from the products of the land.
  4. The plaintiffs later demanded the possession of the land, but the defendant refused to deliver it.
  5. The plaintiffs declared the land for taxation and have been paying the taxes on it since 1910. The defendant also declared the land for taxation when he initially obtained possession of it. In 1908, the defendant resold the land to the plaintiffs.
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