Facts:

• The case involves the Republic of the Philippines suing Saturnino R. Aricheta to eject him from a parcel of land in the Quezon Memorial Park.
• The park is owned by the Republic of the Philippines and was established under Proclamation No. 42 dated July 5, 1954, as amended by Proclamation No. 373 dated December 21, 1956.
• The defendant claims that he purchased the land from the former owner, Marcelino Tiburcio, in good faith and that the plaintiff has no valid title to the land.

Issue:

• (Unlock)

Ruling:

The court ruled in favor of the Republic of the Philippines and affirmed the decision in favor of the plaintiff. The defendant was ordered to be ...(Unlock)

Ratio:

1. The court held that the supposed defect in the complaint, regarding lack of verification, cannot be raised on appeal if it was not raised at the opportune time in the trial court.

• The defendant failed to raise the issue of lack of verification during the trial, and therefore, it cannot be raised on appeal.

2. The fact that the vendor had no Torrens title and the deed of sale stated that the vendor bound himself to issue a clear title to the land shows that the vendee must have doubted the validity of the vendor's title. Therefore, the defendant cannot claim to be a possessor in good faith.

• The defendant's purchase of the land from the former owner, who did not have a valid title, indicates that the defendant had doubts about the validity of the title. This negates the claim of being a possessor in good faith.

3. The court stated that since the whole land constituting the park is covered by a certificate of title...continue reading