G.R. No. 184589 - DEOGENES O. RODRIGUEZ, VS. HON. COURT OF APPEALS AND PHILIPPINE CHINESE CHARITABLE ASSOCIATION, INC..D E C I S I O N - Supreme Court E-Library

Ruling

WHEREFORE, the Court hereby confirms the title of the applicant, Purita Landicho, of legal age, married to Teodorico Landicho, Filipino, resident of 74-A South 19th St., Quezon City, to the parcel of land under consideration and orders the registration thereof in her name and personal circumstances aforementioned. The opposition of the Director of Lands is hereby dismissed. Once this decision becomes final and executory, let the order for the issuance of the decree issue. [8] Upon finality of its Decision dated November 16, 1965, the CFI issued an Order [9] on December 22, 1965 directing the Commissioner of the Land Registration Commission (LRC) to comply with Section 21 of Act No. 2347 [10] on the issuance of a decree and original certificate of title (OCT). Eventually, on July 11, 1966, Jose D. Santos (Santos), Register of Deeds (ROD) for the Province of Rizal, issued Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) No. 167681 [11] in Landichos name covering the subject property. Notably, ROD Santos issued to Landicho a TCT rather than an OCT for the subject property; and although TCT No. 167681 stated that it was issued pursuant to Decree No. 1480, no other detail regarding the decree and the original registration of the subject property was filled out. The subject property was thereafter sold several times, and as the old TCTs of the vendors were cancelled, new TCTs were accordingly issued to the buyers. The sale of the subject property could be traced from Landicho to Blue Chips Projects, Inc. (BCPI), which acquired TCT No. 344936 in its own name on November 10, 1971; then to Winmar Poultry Farm, Inc. (WPFI), TCT No. 425582, November 5, 1973; and finally, to herein respondent Philippine Chinese Charitable Association, Inc. (PCCAI), TCT No. 482970, July 15, 1975. [12] Meanwhile, A. Doronila Resources Dev., Inc. (ADRDI) [13] instituted Civil Case No. 12044, entitled A. Doronila Resources Dev., Inc. v. Court of Appeals, which was still pending before the RTC, Branch 167, of Pasig City as of 2008. ADRDI asserted ownership over the subject property, which was a portion of a bigger tract of land measuring around 513 hectares, covered by TCT No. 42999, dated February 20, 1956, in the name of said corporation. This bigger tract of land was originally registered in the name of Meerkamp Co. under OCT No. 301, pursuant to Decree No. 1480, GLRO Record No. 2429, issued on November 22, 1906. ADRDI caused the annotation of a notice of lis pendens (as regards Civil Case No. 12044) on TCT No. 344936 of BCPI. Subsequently, based on the ruling of this Court in A. Doronila Resources Dev., Inc. v. Court of Appeals, [14] ADRDI was also able to have its notice of adverse claim over the subject property annotated on TCT Nos. 344936 and 425582 of BCPI and WPFI, respectively. ADRDI subsequently transferred the subject property to Amado Araneta (Araneta) to whom TCT No. 70589 was issued on March 25, 1983. On November 14, 1996, Landicho executed a Deed of Absolute Sales (sic) ov