Title
Dimasacat vs. Court of Appeals
Case
G.R. No. L-26575
Decision Date
Feb 27, 1969
Co-owners seek to redeem a property in a dispute over their right to repurchase the entire property or only the portions they purchased, resulting in a Supreme Court decision declaring them as co-owners with the right to partition the property.
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Case Digest (G.R. No. L-26575)

Facts:

  • Petitioners: Pedro Dimasacat and Ernesto Robles
  • Respondents: Court of Appeals, Philippine National Bank (PNB), and Rafael O. Lagdameo
  • Property: Four contiguous parcels of land in Tagkawayan, Quezon, totaling approximately 7,236 sq. m., covered by TCT No. 17011
  • Initial Ownership: Rafael O. Lagdameo
  • Mortgage: Lagdameo mortgaged the land to PNB for P3,500 on June 24, 1946
  • Subsequent Sales: Lagdameo sold portions of the land to Robles (1947) and Dimasacat (1948), but these sales were not registered
  • Foreclosure: Due to non-payment, PNB foreclosed the property and acquired it at a public auction on April 1, 1955
  • Redemption Period: Lapsed without redemption, leading to the issuance of TCT No. 24761 in favor of PNB
  • Repurchase Attempt: Robles and Dimasacat attempted to repurchase the property from PNB, but their offer was rejected
  • Legal Action: Filed Civil Case No. 33-G in the Court of First Instance of Quezon on December 5, 1955, to enforce their right to repurchase
  • Lower Court Decision: Dismissed their complaint but reserved their right to compel Lagdameo to perform their agreement should he reacquire the property
  • Court of Appeals Decision: Reversed the lower court's decision, granting Robles and Dimasacat the right to redeem their respective portions but leaving the issue of redeeming the entire property for future litigation
  • Petition for Review: Filed by petitioners seeking a review by certiorari of the Court of Appeals' decision

Issue:

  • (Unlock)

Ruling:

  • Modification: The Supreme Court modified the decision of the Court of Appeals.
  • Co-ownership: Petitioners were declared co-owners of the land to the extent of the interest conveyed to them by Lagdameo.
  • Partition: Petitioners were granted the right to partition the property and determine the precise bo...(Unlock)

Ratio:

  • Personal Right: Petitioners purchased only small portions of the land, giving them at best a personal right to demand co-ownership status from Lagdameo.
  • Unregistered Sales: Their deeds of sale were not registered, and the portions sold were not surveyed or delimited by metes and bounds.
  • Limited Redemption: Petitioners could not claim the right to redeem the entire property.
  • Reference Case: Referenced Magno v. Viola case: A co-tenant may redeem the entire joint estate but would be deemed to have acted for the benefit of all co-tenants.
  • Specific Right: Petitioners' right to redeem was limited to the portions sold to them by Lagdameo.
  • Lagdameo's Repurchase: Since Lagdameo repurcha...continue reading

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