substituted by his heirs in pursuing the case up to its completion.

The records of this case show that the death of Fortunata Barcena took place on July 9, 1975 while the complaint was
filed on March 31, 1975. This means that when the complaint was filed on March 31, 1975, Fortunata Barcena was still
alive, and therefore, the court had acquired jurisdiction over her person.

Under Section 16, Rule 3 of the Rules of Court whenever a