Aglibot v.

Mañalac that, upon his death, ownership was transmitted to all

FACTS
The land in question originally belonged to the
conjugal partnership of Sps. Anacleto Mañalac and
Maria Aglibot. They had an only child named Juliana
Mañalac. Maria died in Oct. 1906. In April 1910,
Anacleto married Andrea Acay with whom he had 6
children.
his heirs, subject to the usufructuary rights of the
surviving spouse Andrea, only Andrea enjoyed
possession of the property since her husband's death
and received the annual share pertaining to the
landlord. Thus, she should be the only one sentenced
to pay the 15 cavans of palay yearly from the date of
the filing of the complaint.

Juliana died intestate in Oct. 1920, leaving no other

relatives except her father and her half-siblings.

Upon the death of Anacleto in June 1942, Andrea

Acay and her 6 children took possession of the parcel
of land in controversy.

Leona and Evarista Aglibot, sisters of Maria,

commenced the present action in the CFI to recover
the ownership and possession of the land. The CFI
declared Leona and Evarista owners pro-indiviso of
1/2 of the land.

ISSUE
Who is entitled to the land which Anacleto inherited
from his daughter?

RULING
The land in question is reservable property. The entire
parcel belonged to the conjugal partnership of
Anacleto and Maria. Upon the death of Maria, their
only daughter Juliana inherited 1/2 of the property,
the other pertaining to her father as his share in the
conjugal partnership. Upon the death of Juliana, her
father inherited her 1/2 portion. In accordance with
law, Anacleto was obliged to reserve the portion he
had inherited from his daughter for the benefit of
Leona and Evarista, aunts of Juliana on the maternal
side and who are her relative within the third degree
belonging to the line from which said property came.

The Mañalacs' contention that the major portion of

the purchase price of the land was paid to the original
owner after the death of Maria is untenable not only
by the lack of sufficient evidence to this effect but
also by the significant circumstance that the property
was titled in the name of Anacleto Mañalac "married
to Maria Aglibot" — circumstance that strongly
indicates that said spouses had acquired full
ownership during the lifetime of Maria.

Considering the belief of the Mañalacs that the

property formed part of the estate of Anacleto and