DEOGENES O. RODRIGUEZ vs. HON. COURT OF APPEALS and PHILIPPINE In another case, Spouses Laburada v.

nother case, Spouses Laburada v. Land Registration Authority, the Court refused
CHINESE CHARITABLE ASSOCIATION, INC. to issue a writ of mandamus compelling the LRA to issue a decree of registration as
ordered by a land registration court. The Court took into account the LRA report that
G.R. No. 184589. | June 13, 2013.* the parcels of land were already registered and held:
That the LRA hesitates in issuing a decree of
DOCTRINE: The court cannot compel the LRA via a writ of mandamus to execute a registration is understandable. Rather than a sign
certificate of title if the said land has been registered and recorded to a different person of negligence or nonfeasance in the performance
in the registry book. of its duty, the LRA’s reaction is reasonable, even
imperative. Considering the probable duplication
FACTS: On January 29, 1965, Purita Landicho filed before the CFI of Rizal an
Application for Registration of a piece of land, measuring 125 hectares, located in San of titles over the same parcel of land, such
Mateo, Rizal. On November 16, 1965, the CFI rendered a Decision evaluating the issuance may contravene the policy and the
evidence presented by the parties as follows: purpose, and thereby destroy the integrity, of the
It has been established that the parcel of land under consideration was formerly several Torrens system of registration.
smaller parcels owned and possessed by the spouses Felix San Pascual and Juanita
Vertudes, Ignacio Santos and Socorro Santos, Caconto Cayetano and Verneta
Bartolome, Gavino Espiritu and Asuncion Cruz, and Lucio Manuel and Justina Ramos,
all of whom in January 1960, executed instruments of conditional sale of their
respective parcels of land in favor of [Landicho], x x x, and on July 20, 1965 all of them
executed jointly a final deed of absolute sale x x x which superseded the conditional
sale. The applicant is entitled to the benefits provided by Section 48, of C.A. No. 141,
as amended.
The CFI confirmed the title of the applicant, Purita Landicho 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 was dismissed.
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. On November 14, 1996, Landicho executed a Deed of Absolute
Sales (sic) over the subject property in favor of herein petitioner Deogenes O.
Rodriguez (Rodriguez). Two years later, on June 1, 1998, Landicho died. Concerning
the aforementioned Omnibus Motion, Rodriguez himself submitted TCT No. 482970 of
PCCAI but alleged that said certificate of title was fictitious. Thus, the RTC issued on
November 3, 2006 a subpoena commanding PCCAI to appear at the hearing of Land
Reg. Case No. N-5098 and to bring its TCT No. 482970 and Tax Declaration No. SM-
02-0229; and to testify in connection therewith. The RTC favorably acted on
Rodriguez’s Omnibus Motion in an Order dated April 10, 2007;

ISSUE: whether this Court may issue a writ of execution directing the Land Registration
Authority (LRA) to issue a decree of registration over the subject property and the
Register of Deeds of the Province of Rizal to issue an original certificate of title in the
name of [Rodriguez].

RULING: This Court can only reiterate the directives in the Order dated December 22,
1965. It cannot, however, issue, as prayed for, a writ of execution directing the issuance
of a decree of registration and an original certificate of title in the name of [Rodriguez].
RTC decreed that the LRA is directed to issue a decree of registration while the Register
of Deeds of the Province of Rizal is likewise directed to issue an original certificate of
title of the subject property, both in favor and in the name of applicant Purita Landicho.