Facts:

• Matea Abella, an 88-year-old woman suffering from physical ailments, left her home in Sinait, Ilocos Sur to consult a physician in San Fernando, La Union.
• During her stay in the convent of the parish church in San Fernando, she consulted with Attorney Teodoro R. Reinoso to draft her will.
• The will was read to her in her dialect, Ilocano, and she approved it.
• On April 29, 1932, Matea Abella signed the will in the presence of witnesses, including Father Cordero.
• Matea Abella passed away on July 3, 1932.

Issue:

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Ruling:

• The Court of First Instance of Ilocos Sur ruled in favor of the applicant-appellee, Mons. Santiago Sancho, and granted the probate of the will.
• The Court of Appeals affirmed the deci...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• The Supreme Court held that neither senile debility, deafness, blindness, nor poor memory is sufficient to establish the presumption that a person is not in the full enjoyment of their mental faculties when there is sufficient evidence of their mental sanity at the time of executing the will.
• In this case, the court found that Matea Abella, despite her age and physical ailments, was mentally capable of executing her will.
• The court also ruled that the fact that Matea Abella was given accommodations in a conven...continue reading