UNCHUAN VS.

LOZADA (2009) safety deposit box but continued to funnel monthly rentals to Peregrinas
Petitioner: MARISSA R. UNCHUAN account.
Respondent/s: ANTONIO J.P. LOZADA, ANITA LOZADA and THE REGISTER OF DEEDS OF CEBU Testimony of Dr. Cecilia Fuentes on the medical records of Peregrina.
CITY That it was physically impossible for Peregrina to have signed the Deed of
Ponente: QUISUMBING, J. Sale on March 11, 1994, when she was reported to be suffering from
edema. Peregrina died on April 4, 1994.
FACTS: RTC: For the respondents; Deed of Donation was declared NULL AND VOID
Anita Lozada Slaughter and Peregrina Lozada Saribay were the registered co- MR by petitioner: declared Deed of Sale VOID; Deed of Donation was
owners of parcels of lots covered by TCT Nos. 53258 and 53257 in Cebu City. VALID -- TC gave credence to the medical records of Peregrina.
They were both based in the US. They sold the lots to Antonio J.P. Lozada under a MR by respondents: reinstated original ruling of RTC but deleted the
Deed of Sale. award of damages in favor of Antonio Lozada.
Armed with an SPA from Anita, Peregrina went to the house of their brother, Dr. CA: Affirmed RTC but restored the award of damages.
Antonio Lozada, in Long Beach, California.
Dr. Lozada agreed to advance the purchase price of US$367,000 or Contentions of the parties:
10,000,000 for Antonio, his nephew.
Petitioner Respondents
The Deed of Sale was later notarized and authenticated at the Philippine Consuls
Office. Her right to due process was violated when Petitioner failed to furnish the Register of
Dr. Lozada then forwarded the deed, along with the SPA and owners copies of the CA did not rule on the validity of the sale Deeds of Cebu City with a copy thereof (?)
titles to Antonio in the Philippines. between the sisters Lozada and their in violation of Sections 3 and 4 of Rule 45 of
Upon receipt of said documents, Antonio recorded the sale with the Register of nephew, Antonio. the Rules, hence the case should be
Deeds of Cebu. Accordingly, TCT Nos. 128322 and 128323 were issued in the name It was anomalous that Dr. Lozada, dismissed
an American citizen, would pay
of Antonio Lozada.
for the lots (contrary to public
Pending registration of the deed, petitioner Marissa R. Unchuan caused the policy vs. aliens owning Property
annotation of an adverse claim on the lots. in the Philippines). Hes a dummy
claimed that Anita donated an undivided share in the lots to her under an of Anita.
unregistered Deed of Donation in 1987.
Antonio and Anita filed a case against Marissa for Quieting of Title; Marissa, on the SC should review the conflicting factual Peregrinas unauthenticated medical
other hand, filed a petition to declare the Deed of Sale void and to cancel TCT Nos. findings of the TC and CA on: records were merely falsified to make it
Peregrinas medical condition on appear that she was confined in the
128322 and 128323
March 11, 1994 and hospital on the day of the sale.
Cases were consolidated after motion. Dr. Lozadas financial capacity to
Respondents evidences: advance payment for Antonio
notarized and duly authenticated sworn statement, and a videotape
where Anita denied having donated land in favor of Marissa. CA erred in nullifying the donation in her Respondents impugn the validity of the
Testimony of Dr. Lozada that he agreed to advance payment for Antonio favor based on laches Deed of Donation in favor of Marissa.
in preparation for their plan to form a corporation, Damasa Corp., where
Challenges the admissibility of the Question the credibility of Dr. Fuentes who
he and Antonio have 40 and 60 stake videotaped statement of Anita who was not was neither presented in court as an expert
Testimony of Lourdes G. Vicencio who has been renting the ground floor presented as a witness. witness nor professionally involved in
of Anitas house since 1983, and tendering rentals to Antonio. Peregrinas medical care.
Marissas evidence:
her testimony that she accompanied Anita to the office of Atty. Cresencio
W/N CA erred in upholding the Decision of the RTC which declared Antonio J.P. Lozada the
Tomakin for the signing of the Deed of Donation. She allegedly kept it in a
absolute owner of the questioned properties?
 In the assailed Decision, the CA reiterates the rule that a notarized and
authenticated deed of sale enjoys the presumption of regularity, and is admissible
without further proof of due execution.
RE Due process: While it is a part of the right of appellant to urge that the decision
should directly meet the issues presented for resolution, mere failure by the
appellate court to specify in its decision all contentious issues raised by the
appellant and the reasons for refusing to believe appellants contentions is not
sufficient to hold the appellate courts decision contrary to the requirements of the
law and the Constitution, so long as the decision of the CA contains the necessary
findings of facts to warrant its conclusions. There is a legal presumption that official
duty has been regularly performed, and all matters within an issue in a case were
laid down before the court and were passed upon by it.
RE Public policy: Even as Dr. Lozada advanced the money for the payment of
Antonios share, at no point were the lots registered in Dr. Lozadas name. Nor was
it contemplated that the lots be under his control for they are actually to be
included as capital of Damasa Corporation. According to their agreement, Antonio
and Dr. Lozada are to hold 60% and 40% of the shares in said corporation,
respectively. This is well within the Constitution.
Moreover, the corporation may acquire disposable lands in the
Philippines.
Petitioner did not present evidence to belie Antonios capacity to pay for
the subject lots.
RE Factual finding of both RTC and CA: These findings are firm. There is no reason
to overturn their factual findings.
[Related part]
W/N the medical records of Peregrina is admissible as evidence? NO
Petitioner submitted as evidence a copy of Peregrinas medical records show that
she was confined at the Martin Luther Hospital from February 27, 1994 until she
died on April 4, 1994.
a Certification from Randy E. Rice, Manager for the Health Information
Management of the hospital undermines the authenticity of said medical
records. He denied having certified or having mailed copies of Peregrinas
medical records to the Philippines.
Rule: a document to be admissible in evidence, should be
previously authenticated, that is, its due execution or
genuineness should be first shown.
Here, the medical records of Peregrina should be excluded as evidence.
Assuming that Peregrina was confined in the cited hospital, there was no
showing that Peregrina was so incapacitated as to prevent her from
executing the Deed of Sale.
On the contrary, she even issued checks to pay for her
attorneys professional fees and her own hospital bills 2 days
before her death.
W/N the Deed of Donation was valid? NO.
The law requires that a deed of donation on an immovable property be made in a
public document, specifying therein the property donated and the value of the
charges which the donee must satisfy. (Art. 749)
Here, the Deed of Donation was not properly notarized; the date as to
when the Notary Public who signed the document appears to have been
superimposed as confirmed by petitioners nephew Richard Unchuan
who testified that he saw petitioners husband write 7 over 1983 to make
it appear that the deed was notarized in 1987.
Additionally, Clerk of Court testified that the Deed of Donation
purportedly identified in Book No. 4, Document No. 48, and Page No. 35
Series of 1987 was not reported and filed with said office.
Rules require a party producing a document as genuine which has been altered
and appears to have been altered after its execution, in a part material to the
question in dispute, to account for the alteration.
He may show that the alteration was made by another, without his
concurrence, or was made with the consent of the parties affected by it,
or was otherwise properly or innocently made, or that the alteration did
not change the meaning or language of the instrument.
If he fails to do that, the document shall, as in this case, not be admissible
in evidence
Here, the lands described in the Deed of Donation are covered by TCT Nos. 73645
and 73646.
These TCTs have already been cancelled on dated April 8, 1981
It is puzzling because on August 10, 1987, or six months after Anita
supposedly donated her undivided share in the lots to petitioner, the
Unchuan Development Corporation, which was represented by
petitioners husband, filed suit to compel the Lozada sisters to surrender
their titles by virtue of a sale.
Is the videotape executed by Anita Lozada hearsay evidence?
Evidence is hearsay when its probative force depends, in whole or in part, on the
competency and credibility of some persons other than the witness by whom it is
sought to be produced.
Reasons for excluding hearsay evidence:
absence of cross-examination;
absence of demeanor evidence; and
absence of oath.
 Hornbook doctrine: an affidavit is merely hearsay evidence where its maker did
not take the witness stand.
So as it appears, the sworn statement of Anita was of this kind because she did not
appear in court to affirm her averments therein. HOWEVER, an exception to the
rule is if the evidence is an admission by the party.
Section 26 of Rule 130: the act, declaration or omission of a party as to a
relevant fact may be given in evidence against him.
These admissions are admissible even if they are hearsay!!
Here, the videotape of Anita belongs to this class.
Admissions against interest vs. declaration against interest
Admissions against interest: made by a party to a litigation or by one in
privity with or identified in legal interest with such party, and are
admissible whether or not the declarant is available as a witness
declaration against interest: those made by a person who is neither a
party nor in privity with a party to the suit, are secondary evidence and
constitute an exception to the hearsay rule.
However again, object evidence, such as the videotape in this case, must be
authenticated by a special testimony showing that it was a faithful reproduction.
Here, the videotape by Anita lacks this requirement so it must necessarily
be excluded. But regardless, Marissa failed to prove, by preponderant
evidence, any right to the lands subject of this case.