G.R. No. 137909 - FIDELA DEL CASTILLO VDA. DE MISTICA, VS. SPOUSES BERNARDINO NAGUIAT AND MARIA PAULINA GERONA-NAGUIAT.DECISION - Supreme Court E-Library

Ruling

WHEREFORE, modified as indicated above, the decision of the Regional Trial Court is hereby AFFIRMED." [4] The assailed Resolution denied petitioner's Motion for Reconsideration. The Facts The facts of the case are summarized by the CA as follows: "Eulalio Mistica, predecessor-in-interest of herein [petitioner], is the owner of a parcel of land located at Malhacan, Meycauayan, Bulacan. A portion thereof was leased to [Respondent Bernardino Naguiat] sometime in 1970. "On 5 April 1979, Eulalio Mistica entered into a contract to sell with [Respondent Bernardino Naguiat] over a portion of the aforementioned lot containing an area of 200 square meters. This agreement was reduced to writing in a document entitled `Kasulatan sa Pagbibilihan' which reads as follows: `NAGSASALAYSAY: `Na ang NAGBIBILI ay nagmamay-aring tunay at naghahawak ng isang lagay na lupa na nasa Nayon ng Malhacan, Bayan ng Meycauayan, Lalawigan ng Bulacan, na ang kabuuan sukat at mga kahangga nito gaya ng sumusunod: x x x x x x x x x `Na alang-alang sa halagang DALAWANG PUNG LIBONG PISO (P20,000.00) Kualtang Pilipino, ang NAGBIBILI ay nakipagkasundo ng kanyang ipagbibili ang isang bahagi o sukat na DALAWANG DAAN (200) METROS PARISUKAT, sa lupang nabanggit sa itaas, na ang mga kahangga nito ay gaya ng sumusunod: x x x x x x x x x `Na magbibigay ng paunang bayad ang BUMIBILI SA NAGBIBILI na halagang DALAWANG LIBONG PISO (P2,000.00) Kualtang Pilipino, sa sandaling lagdaan ang kasulatang ito. `Na ang natitirang halagang LABING WALONG LIBONG PISO (P18,000.00) Kualtang Pilipino, ay babayaran ng BUM[I]BILI sa loob ng Sampung (10) taon, na magsisimula sa araw din ng lagdaan ang kasulatang ito. `Sakaling hindi makakabayad ang Bumibili sa loob ng panahon pinagkasunduan, an[g] BUMIBILI ay magbabayad ng pakinabang o interes ng 12% isang taon, sa taon nilakaran hanggang sa ito'y mabayaran tuluyan ng Bumibili: `Sa katunayan ng lahat ay nilagdaan ng Magkabilang Panig ang kasulatang ito, ngayon ika 5 ng Abril, 1979, sa Bayan ng Meycauayan. Lalawigan ng Bulacan, Pilipinas. (signed) (signed) BERNARDINO NAGUIAT EULALIO MISTICA Bumibili Nagbibili' "Pursuant to said agreement, [Respondent Bernardino Naguiat] gave a downpayment of P2,000.00. He made another partial payment of P1,000.00 on 7 February 1980. He failed to make any payments thereafter. Eulalio Mistica died sometime in October 1986. "On 4 December 1991, [petitioner] filed a complaint for rescission alleging inter alia : that the failure and refusal of [respondents] to pay the balance of the purchase price constitutes a violation of the contract which entitles her to rescind the same; that [respondents] have been in possession of the subject portion and they should be ordered to vacate and surrender possession of the same to [petitioner] ; that the reasonable amount of rental for the subject land is P200.00 a month; that on account of the unjustified actuations of [respondents], [petitioner] has been constrained to litigate where she incurred ex