Title
German Management and Services, Inc. vs. Court of Appeals
Case
G.R. No. 76216
Decision Date
Sep 14, 1989
Spouses Jose authorized GMSI to develop their land; occupants, farming for 12-15 years, sued for forcible entry after GMSI bulldozed crops. CA ruled for occupants; SC upheld, citing prior possession, not ownership, as key in forcible entry cases. Due process was satisfied.

Case Digest (G.R. No. 76216)
Expanded Legal Reasoning Model

Facts:

  • Property Ownership and Authorization
    • Spouses Cynthia Cuyegkeng Jose and Manuel Rene Jose, residents of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, own a 232,942 sqm parcel in Sitio Inarawan, San Isidro, Antipolo, Rizal, covered by TCT No. 50023 (issued Sept. 11, 1980; originating from OCT No. 19 under Homestead Patent of July 27, 1948).
    • On Feb. 26, 1982, they granted a Special Power of Attorney to German Management & Services, Inc. (“petitioner”) to develop the property into a residential subdivision.
  • Development Permit and Occupation
    • Petitioner secured Development Permit No. 00424 from the Human Settlements Regulatory Commission on Feb. 9, 1983.
    • A portion of the land was occupied and tilled by private respondents (Orlando Gernale, Ernesto Villeza, and about twenty others), who refused petitioner’s demand to vacate.
  • Forcible Entry Case and Procedural History
    • Private respondents filed a forcible entry complaint before the Municipal Trial Court (MTC) of Antipolo, alleging forcible removal, destruction of crops, and threats by petitioner in August 1983, in violation of various PDs (1038, 316, 583, 815, 1028).
    • On Jan. 7, 1985, the MTC dismissed the complaint; the Regional Trial Court (RTC) affirmed the dismissal on appeal.
    • Private respondents petitioned the Court of Appeals (CA), which on July 24, 1986 reversed and remanded, holding that actual possession suffices for a forcible entry action. Petitioner’s motion for reconsideration was denied on Sept. 26, 1986. Petitioner then elevated the case to the Supreme Court.

Issues:

  • Did the Court of Appeals deny petitioner due process by reversing the lower courts’ decisions without allowing an answer?
  • Are private respondents entitled to file a forcible entry action against petitioner despite petitioner’s claim of ownership?

Ruling:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

Ratio:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

Doctrine:

  • (Subscriber-Only)

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