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1nL ILDAD LS1A1L

SUkLML CCUk1
Manlla - Ln 8AnC

C.8. nos. 162333 & 162603 March 6, 2012

SLvL8lnC M. MANC1Ck lv, l8ClLAn M. MAnC1Ck, lL8nAnuC M. MAnC1Ck lll, MA. MAML81A M.
MAnC1Ck, A18lClA L. 1lCnCSCn, ACl1A L. CC, 8C8L81C LAL8AL lll, MlCPALL MA8SPALL v. MAnC1Ck,
MA8?Ann MAnC1Ck, lLLlSA M?LLnL v. MAnC1Ck, lCnAClC v. MAnC1Ck, !8., MlLAC8CS v. MAnC1Ck,
SLvL8lnC MAnC1Ck lll, 8CSA 8. MAnC1Ck, MlCuLL A.8. SlSCn, CLC8CL M. 8CCAnLC8A, MA. C8lS1lnA L.
SlSCn, PlLl L. MAnC1Ck, !CSL CLLMLn1L L. MAnC1Ck, 8AMCn SLvL8lnC L. MAnC1Ck, 1PLLMA 8.
MAnC1Ck, !CSL MA8lA MAnC1Ck, !LSuS !uuL MAnC1Ck, !8. and MA. 1PL8LSA L. MAnC1Ck, represenLed by
Lhelr ALLorney-ln-facL, 8CSA 8. MAnC1Ck, eLlLloners,
vs.
PLl8S Cl PCML8 L. 8AkUL, represenLed by 1L8LSl1A 8A8CuL PL8nAnuLZ, 8espondenLs.

kLSCLU1ICN
VILLAkAMA, Ik., I.:
AL bar are Lhe moLlons for reconslderaLlon separaLely flled by Lhe ManoLoks, 8arques and
Manahans of our ueclslon promulgaLed on AugusL 24, 2010, Lhe dlsposlLlve porLlon of whlch reads:
WPL8LlC8L, Lhe peLlLlons flled by Lhe ManoLoks under 8ule 43 of Lhe 1997 8ules of Clvll rocedure, as
amended, as well as Lhe peLlLlon-ln-lnLervenLlon of Lhe Manahans, are uLnlLu. 1he peLlLlon for
reconsLlLuLlon of LlLle flled by Lhe 8arques ls llkewlse uLnlLu. 1C1 no. 81-22481 (372302) ln Lhe name
of Severlno ManoLok lv, eL al., 1C1 no. 210177 ln Lhe name of Pomer L. 8arque and ueed of Conveyance
no. v-200022 lssued Lo lellclLas 8. Manahan, are all hereby declared nuLL and vClu. 1he 8eglsLer of
ueeds of Caloocan ClLy and/or Cuezon ClLy are hereby ordered Lo CAnCLL Lhe sald LlLles. 1he CourL
hereby uLCLA8LS LhaL LoL 823 of Lhe ledad LsLaLe, Cuezon ClLy legally belongs Lo Lhe nA1lCnAL
CCvL8nMLn1 Cl 1PL 8Lu8LlC Cl 1PL PlLllnLS, wlLhouL pre[udlce Lo Lhe lnsLlLuLlon of 8LvL8SlCn
proceedlngs by Lhe SLaLe Lhrough Lhe Cfflce of Lhe SollclLor Ceneral.
WlLh cosLs agalnsL Lhe peLlLloners.
SC C8uL8Lu.

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1he Manotoks ralsed Lhe followlng grounds ln Lhelr moLlon for reconslderaLlon wlLh moLlon for
oral argumenLs:
1. lL ls un[usL and oppresslve Lo deprlve Lhe ManoLoks of properLy Lhey have long held and
acqulred from Lhe SLaLe, on conslderaLlon fully pald and recelved, and under reglsLered LlLle
lssued by Lhe SLaLe lLself, on noLhlng more Lhan Lhe assumed fallure of Lhe SLaLe's agenLs Lo
lnscrlbe a mlnlsLerlal approval" on Lhe LransacLlon deeds.

2. 1he annulmenL of lrlar Land sales, slmply because physlcal evldence of Lhe SecreLary's
mlnlsLerlal approval can no longer be found, may vold LransacLlons lnvolvlng Lhousands of
hecLares of land, and affecL posslbly mllllons of people Lo whom Lhe lands may have slnce been
parceled ouL, sold and resold.

3. 1he ManoLoks were glven no due noLlce of Lhe lssue of reverslon, whlch Lhls case on appeal dld
noL lnclude, and whlch was LhrusL upon Lhe ManoLoks only ln Lhe flnal resoluLlon dlsposlng of
Lhe appeal.

lL would be error for Lhe Ponorable CourL Lo leL Lhls maLLer go wlLhouL a serlous and full re-
examlnaLlon. 1hls can be accompllshed, among oLhers, by allowlng Lhls moLlon for
reconslderaLlon Lo be heard on oral argumenL, Lo Lry Lo permlL all perLlnenL conslderaLlons Lo
be alred before Lhe CourL and Laken lnLo accounL.

4. 1hese C.8. nos. 162333 and 162603 were an appeal from admlnlsLraLlve reconsLlLuLlon
proceedlngs before L8A 8econsLlLuLlon offlcer 8en[amln 8usLos. 8uL Lhe 8esoluLlon daLed 18
uecember 2008 whlch flnally reversed Lhe CA's rullngs, afflrmed Lhe denlal by 8usLos of Lhe
appllcaLlon for admlnlsLraLlve reconsLlLuLlon of Lhe 8arques' purporLed Lransfer cerLlflcaLe of
LlLle, and LermlnaLed Lhe appeal lnLroduced a new case" on Lhe ManoLok properLy. lL ordered
evldence-Laklng aL Lhe CA, on whlch Lhe Supreme CourL proposed lLself Lo declde, ln Lhe flrsL
lnsLance, an alleged ownershlp conLroversy over Lhe ManoLok properLy.

3. 1he ManoLoks ob[ecLed Lo Lhe remand" on [urlsdlcLlonal and due process grounds. 1he
orlglnal and excluslve [urlsdlcLlon over Lhe sub[ecL maLLer of Lhe case ls vesLed by law on Lhe
reglonal Lrlal courLs.

6. 1he Ponorable CourL erred ln proceedlng Lo [udgmenL dlvesLlng Lhe ManoLoks of Lhelr LlLle Lo
LoL 823 of Lhe ledad LsLaLe, wlLhouL a Lrlal ln Lhe courLs of orlglnal and excluslve [urlsdlcLlon,
and ln dlsregard of process whlch Lhe law accords Lo all owners-ln-possesslon.

7. 1he Ponorable CourL erred ln concludlng LhaL Lhe ManoLoks, desplLe belng owners ln
possesslon under a reglsLered LlLle, may be compelled Lo produce Lhe deeds by whlch Lhe
CovernmenL had Lransferred Lhe properLy Lo Lhem, and falllng" whlch can be dlvesLed of Lhelr

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ownershlp ln favor of Lhe CovernmenL, even lf Lhe laLLer has noL demanded a reverslon or
broughL sulL for LhaL purpose.

8. 1he Ponorable CourL erred ln lmposlng on Lhe ManoLoks, conLrary Lo ArL. 341 of Lhe Clvll Code,
Lhe obllgaLlon Lo prove Lhelr ownershlp of Lhe sub[ecL properLy, and ln awardlng Lhelr LlLle Lo
Lhe CovernmenL who has noL even sued Lo conLesL LhaL ownershlp.

9. 1he Ponorable CourL erred ln flndlng LhaL Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 1034, whlch Severlno ManoLok
acqulred by asslgnmenL ln 1923, was noL approved by Lhe ulrecLor of Lands and Lhe SecreLary
of AgrlculLure and naLural 8esources, and ln flndlng LhaL a Sale CerLlflcaLe wlLhouL Lhe
SecreLary's approval ls vold.

10. 1he Ponorable CourL erred ln concludlng LhaL Lhe ManoLoks had no valld ueed of Conveyance
of LoL 823 from Lhe CovernmenL 1he orlglnal of ueed of Conveyance no. 29204 gave Lhe
reglsLer of deeds Lhe auLhorlLy Lo lssue Lhe Lransfer cerLlflcaLe of LlLle ln Lhe name of Lhe buyer
Severlno ManoLok, whlch ls requlred by law Lo be flled wlLh and reLalned ln Lhe cusLody of Lhe
reglsLer of deeds.We presume LhaL Lhe copy Lhereof acLually LransmlLLed Lo and recelved by Lhe
reglsLer of deeds dld conLaln Lhe SecreLary's slgnaLure because he ln facL lssued Lhe 1C1. And
we rely on Lhls presumpLlon because Lhe documenL lLself can no longer be found.

11. Assumlng arguendo LhaL Lhe orlglnal ueed of Conveyance no. 29204 Lhe reglsLer of deeds
recelved dld noL bear Lhe ueparLmenL SecreLary's slgnaLure, uLn8 Memorandum Crder no. 16-
03 daLed CcLober 27, 2003 cured Lhe defecL. 1o deny Lhe ManoLoks Lhe beneflL of raLlflcaLlon
under sald MC, on Lhe erroneous lnLerpreLaLlon LhaL lL covered only Lhose found ln Lhe records
of Lhe fleld offlces" of Lhe uLn8 and LM8, would be dlscrlmlnaLory. 1he ueparLmenL
SecreLary's (assumed) fallure Lo afflx hls slgnaLure on Lhe deed of conveyance could noL defeaL
Lhe ManoLoks' rlghL Lo Lhe loL afLer Lhey had fully pald for lL.

8epubllc AcL no. 9443 musL be applled, mototls motooJls, Lo Lhe ManoLoks and Lhe ledad
LsLaLe.

12. 1he Ponorable CourL erred ln denylng Lhelr rlghL Lo be lnformed of Lhe CA's reporL and be
heard Lhereon prlor Lo [udgmenL, as baslc requlremenLs of due process.


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1he 8arques anchor Lhelr moLlon for reconslderaLlon on Lhe followlng:
l
1PL PCnC8A8LL Su8LML CCu81 C8AvLL? L88Lu ln uLn?lnC 1PL L1l1lCn lC8 8LCCnS1l1u1lCn
llLLu 8? 8LSCnuLn1S PLl8S Cl 8A8CuL Wl1PCu1 S1A1lnC 1PL C8CunuS lC8 SuCP uLnlAL.
ll
1PL PCnC8A8LL Su8LML CCu81 C8AvLL? L88Lu ln lnS1An1L? uLCLA8lnC ln 1PL ulSCSl1lvL
C81lCn Cl 1PL uLClSlCn 1PA1 ALCnC Wl1P lLLlCl1AS 8. MAnAPAn'S 1l1LL, 8LSCnuLn1S PLl8S
Cl 8A8CuL'S 1l1LL 1C1 nC. 210177 lS LlkLWlSL nuLL Anu vClu, Wl1PCu1 S1A1lnC A CLLA8 Anu
uLllnl1L 8ASlS 1PL8LlC8.
lll
1PL PCnC8A8LL Su8LML CCu81 C8AvLL? L88Lu ln uLCLA8lnC 18AnSlL8 CL81lllCA1L Cl 1l1LL
nC. 210177 ln 1PL nAML Cl PCML8 L. 8A8CuL nuLL Anu vClu.
lv
1PL PCnC8A8LL CCu81 Cl ALALS' lAC1uAL llnulnCS, AuC1Lu 8? 1PL PCnC8A8LL Su8LML
CCu81 ln 1PL uLClSlCn uA1Lu 24 AuCuS1 2010, A8L CCn18A8? 1C 1PL LvluLnCL 8LSLn1Lu.
v
1PL PCnC8A8LL Su8LML CCu81'S llnulnCS ln 1PL uLClSlCn uA1Lu 24 AuCuS1 2010 A8L
CCn18A8? 1C LAW.

As to the Manahans, Lhey seek a parLlal reconslderaLlon and Lo allow furLher recepLlon of
evldence, sLaLlng Lhe followlng grounds:
l. As Lhe orlglnal of Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 311 could noL be found ln Lhe flles of Lhe LM8 or Lhe uLn8-
nC8 aL Lhe Llme of Lhe hearlngs before Lhe Commlssloners, Lhe exlsLence of Lhe cerLlflcaLe was proven
by secondary evldence. 1he Commlssloners erred ln lgnorlng secondary evldence of Lhe conLenLs of
Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 311 because of mere doubL and susplclon as Lo lLs auLhenLlclLy and ln Lhe absence
of conLradlcLlng evldence.
ll. 1he CSC whlch has been Lasked by Lhe Ponorable CourL Lo obLaln documenLs from Lhe LM8 and
uLn8-nC8 relaLlve Lo Lhe conveyance of LoL 823, ledad LsLaLe, furnlshed lnLevenors wlLh a cerLlfled
Lrue copy of Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 311 whlch lL obLalned from Lhe uLn8-nC8 on SepLember 11, 2010,
LogeLher wlLh Lhe explanaLlon of uLn8-nC8 why Lhe documenL ls avallable only now. (CerLlfled Lrue
copy of Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 311 and Sworn LxplanaLlon of Lvelyn C. Celzo aLLached as Annexes l" and
ll".

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lll. When valenLln Manahan offered Lo purchase LoL 823, ledad LsLaLe, belng Lhe acLual seLLler and
occupanL" who under Lhe law en[oyed preference Lo buy Lhe loL, hls sLaLus as acLual seLLler and
occupanL" musL have been verlfled by Lhe 8ureau of ubllc Lands because Lhe presumpLlon ls LhaL
offlclal duLy has been regularly performed. 1he admlnlsLraLlve deLermlnaLlon of Lhe sLaLus of valenLln
Manahan as acLual seLLler and occupanL" can noL now be revlewed afLer Lhe lapse of abouL elghL (8)
decades when parLles, wlLnesses, documenLs and oLher evldence are hardly or no longer avallable.
lv. AbundanL evldence was submlLLed by lnLervenors LhaL Lhey and Lhelr predecessors-ln-lnLeresL
occupled and possessed LoL 823 up Lo 1948 when Lhey were dlspossessed by armed men. lL was error
for Lhe Commlssloners Lo lgnore Lhe evldence of Lhe lnLervenors, Lhere belng no conLradlcLlng proof.
v. 1he Commlssloners commlLLed palpable error ln noL accordlng evldenLlary value Lo Lhe
lnvesLlgaLlon 8eporL of Lvelyn dela 8osa because lL ls allegedly pracLlcally a repllca or summaLlon of
lellclLas 8. Manahan's allegaLlons embodled ln her peLlLlon." LxamlnaLlon of Lhe daLes of Lhe
documenLs wlll show LhaL Lhe lnvesLlgaLlon 8eporL preceded Lhe eLlLlon. 1he eLlLlon, Lherefore, ls
based on Lhe lnvesLlgaLlon 8eporL, and noL Lhe oLher way around.
vl. 1he pronouncemenL of Lhe Commlssloners LhaL Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 311 ls sLale ls lncorrecL.
lnLervenors made conLlnulng efforLs Lo secure a deed of conveyance based on Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 311.
uefense of sLaleness or laches belongs Lo Lhe parLy agalnsL whom Lhe clalm ls asserLed, lL ls only LhaL
parLy who can ralse lL. lL can also be walved, as ln Lhls case when Lhe LM8 whlch had Lhe sole auLhorlLy
under AcL no. 1120 Lo convey frlar lands, lssued Lo lnLervenor lellclLas 8. Manahan ueed of
Conveyance no. v-2000-22.
vll. 1he requlremenL of AcL no. 1120 LhaL a deed of conveyance of frlar land musL be slgned by Lhe
SecreLary of lnLerlor was dlspensed wlLh pursuanL Lo law and resldenLlal lssuances whlch have Lhe
force of law.
vlll. ueeds of conveyance lacklng Lhe slgnaLure of Lhe ueparLmenL SecreLary were raLlfled by resldenL
!oseph LsLrada and uLn8 SecreLary Mlchael 1. uefensor.

1he mot|ons are bereft of mer|t.
upon Lhe Lheory LhaL Lhls CourL had no power Lo cancel Lhelr cerLlflcaLe of LlLle over LoL 823, ledad
LsLaLe ln Lhe resoluLlon of Lhe presenL conLroversy, Lhe ManoLoks conLend LhaL our 8esoluLlon of
uecember 18, 2008 LermlnaLed Lhe appeal from Lhe Land 8eglsLraLlon AuLhorlLy (L8A) admlnlsLraLlve
reconsLlLuLlon proceedlngs by reverslng Lhe CA's rullngs and afflrmlng Lhe denlal by L8A 8econsLlLuLlon
Cfflcer 8en[amln M. 8usLos of Lhe appllcaLlon for admlnlsLraLlve reconsLlLuLlon of Lhe 8arques' 1ransfer
CerLlflcaLe of 1lLle (1C1) no. 210177. 1he appeal havlng been LermlnaLed, Lhe ManoLoks argued LhaL
Lhe remand Lo Lhe CA for evldence-Laklng had lnLroduced a new case" ln whlch Lhls CourL wlll declde,
ln Lhe flrsL lnsLance, an alleged" ownershlp lssue over Lhe properLy. Such acLlon ls legally lnflrm slnce
Lhe law has vesLed excluslve orlglnal [urlsdlcLlon over clvll acLlons lnvolvlng LlLle Lo real properLy on Lhe
Lrlal courLs.

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1he argument |s untenab|e.
ln our uecember 18, 2008 8esoluLlon, we seL aslde Lhe uecember 12, 2003 ueclslon rendered by Lhe
llrsL ulvlslon and recalled Lhe enLry of [udgmenL. We ruled LhaL nelLher Lhe CA nor Lhe L8A had
[urlsdlcLlon Lo cancel Lhe ManoLok LlLle, a rellef soughL by Lhe 8arques ln Lhe admlnlsLraLlve
reconsLlLuLlon proceedlngs. 1he CourL Ln 8anc proceeded wlLh Lhe reevaluaLlon of Lhe cases on a pro
hac vlce basls. uurlng Lhe oral argumenLs, Lhere were conLroverslal facLual maLLers whlch emerged as
Lhe parLles fully venLllaLed Lhelr respecLlve clalms, ln Lhe course of whlch Lhe 8arques' clalm of
ownershlp was found Lo be exceedlngly weak. lndeed, boLh Lhe L8A and CA erred ln rullng LhaL Lhe
8arques had Lhe rlghL Lo seek reconsLlLuLlon of Lhelr purporLed LlLle. 8eevaluaLlon of Lhe evldence on
record llkewlse lndlcaLed LhaL Lhe ManoLoks' clalm Lo LlLle ls [usL as flawed as LhaL of Lhe 8arques.
lollowlng Lhe approach ln Alonso v. Cebu CounLry Club, lnc.[1] also lnvolvlng a lrlar Land, 8epubllc v.
CourL of Appeals[2] and ManoLok 8ealLy lnc. v. CL1 8ealLy uevelopmenL CorporaLlon,[3] Lhe ma[orlLy
resolved Lo remand Lhls case for recepLlon of evldence on Lhe parLles' compeLlng clalms of ownershlp
over LoL 823 of Lhe ledad LsLaLe. Clven Lhe conLenLlous facLual lssues, lL was necessary for Lhls CourL
Lo resolve Lhe same for Lhe compleLe deLermlnaLlon of Lhe presenL conLroversy lnvolvlng a huge LracL
of frlar land. lL was Lhus noL Lhe flrsL Llme Lhe CourL had acLually resorLed Lo referrlng a facLual maLLer
pendlng before lL Lo Lhe CA.
MalnLalnlng Lhelr ob[ecLlon Lo Lhe order for recepLlon of evldence on remand, Lhe ManoLoks
argue LhaL as owners ln possesslon, Lhey had no furLher duLy Lo defend Lhelr LlLle pursuanL Lo ArLlcle
341 of Lhe Clvll Code whlch sLaLes LhaL: [a] possessor ln Lhe concepL of owner has ln hls favor Lhe legal
presumpLlon LhaL he possesses wlLh a [usL LlLle and he cannoL be obllged Lo show or prove lL." 8uL
such presumpLlon ls prlma facle, and Lherefore lL prevalls unLll Lhe conLrary ls proved.[4]ln Lhe llghL of
serlous flaws ln Lhe LlLle of Severlno ManoLok whlch were broughL Lo llghL durlng Lhe reconsLlLuLlon
proceedlngs, Lhe CourL deemed lL proper Lo glve all Lhe parLles full opporLunlLy Lo adduce furLher
evldence, and ln parLlcular, for Lhe ManoLoks Lo prove Lhelr presumed [usL LlLle over Lhe properLy also
clalmed by Lhe 8arques and Lhe Manahans. As lL Lurned ouL, none of Lhe parLles were able Lo esLabllsh
by clear and convlnclng evldence a valld allenaLlon from Lhe CovernmenL of Lhe sub[ecL frlar land. 1he
declaraLlon of ownershlp ln favor of Lhe CovernmenL was buL Lhe loglcal consequence of such flndlng.
We have ruled LhaL Lhe exlsLence of Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 1034 ln Lhe records of Lhe uLn8-LM8
was noL duly esLabllshed. no offlcer of Lhe uLn8-nC8 or LM8 havlng offlclal cusLody of sale cerLlflcaLes
coverlng frlar lands LesLlfled as Lo Lhe lssuance and auLhenLlclLy of Lxh. 10 submlLLed by Lhe ManoLoks.
And even assumlng LhaL Lxh. 10 was acLually sourced from Lhe uLn8-LM8, Lhere was no showlng LhaL
lL was duly lssued by Lhe ulrecLor of Lands and approved by Lhe SecreLary of AgrlculLure and naLural
8esources (uLn8). Cn Lhls polnL, Lhe ManoLoks hlnLed LhaL Lhe LM8's cerLlfylng Lhe documenL (Lxh.
10) aL Lhe ManoLoks' requesL was a dellberaLe fraud ln order Lo glve Lhem elLher a false documenL, Lhe
usual unslgned copy of Lhe slgned orlglnal, or a fake copy.



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1he ManoLoks furLher asserL LhaL Lhls would lmply LhaL Lhe LM8 elLher dld noL produce Lhe
genulne arLlcle, or could noL produce lL. 1hls could only mean LhaL Lhe documenL whlch Lhe n8l
found" Lo be fake or spurlous, lf Lhls CourL accepLs LhaL flndlng, was planLed evldence"or evldence
lnserLed ln Lhe LM8 flles Lo dlscredlL Lhe ManoLok LlLle. noneLheless, Lhe ManoLoks lnslsL Lhere were
lndependenL evldence whlch supposedly esLabllshed Lhe prlor exlsLence of Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 1034.
1hese documenLs are: (a) phoLocopy of AsslgnmenL of Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 1034 daLed 1929, (b) offlclal
recelpL of paymenL for sald cerLlfled copy, (c) phoLocoples of Lhe oLher asslgnmenL deeds daLed 1923,
(d) offlclal recelpLs of lnsLallmenL paymenLs on LoL 823 lssued Lo Severlno ManoLok, (e) flle coples ln
Lhe naLlonal Archlves of Lhe ueed of Conveyance no. 29204, and (f) Lhe noLarlal reglsLers ln whlch Lhe
sald ueed of Conveyance, as well as Lhe asslgnmenL documenLs, were enLered.
1he conLenLlons have no merlL, and aL besL speculaLlve. As Lhls CourL caLegorlcally ruled ln
Alonso v. Cebu CounLry Club, lnc.,[3] approval by Lhe SecreLary of AgrlculLure and Commerce of Lhe
sale of frlar lands ls lndlspensable for lLs valldlLy, hence, Lhe absence of such approval made Lhe sale
null and vold ab lnlLlo." ln LhaL case, Lhe ma[orlLy declared LhaL no valld LlLles can be lssued on Lhe
basls of Lhe sale or asslgnmenL made ln favor of peLlLloner's faLher due Lo Lhe absence of slgnaLure of
Lhe ulrecLor of Lands and Lhe SecreLary of Lhe lnLerlor, and Lhe approval of Lhe SecreLary of naLural
8esources ln Lhe Sale CerLlflcaLe and AsslgnmenL of Sale CerLlflcaLe. Applylng Lhe Alonso rullng Lo
Lhese cases, we Lhus held LhaL no legal rlghL over Lhe sub[ecL frlar land can be recognlzed ln favor of
Lhe ManoLoks under Lhe asslgnmenL documenLs ln Lhe absence of Lhe cerLlflcaLe of sale duly slgned by
Lhe ulrecLor of Lands and approved by Lhe SecreLary of AgrlculLure and naLural 8esources.
1haL a valld cerLlflcaLe of sale was lssued Lo Severlno ManoLok's asslgnors cannoL slmply be
presumed from Lhe execuLlon of asslgnmenL documenLs ln hls favor. nelLher can lL be deduced from
Lhe alleged lssuance of Lhe half-Lorn 1C1 no. 22813, lLself a doubLful documenL as lLs auLhenLlclLy was
noL esLabllshed, much less Lhe veraclLy of lLs reclLals because Lhe name of Lhe reglsLered owner and
daLe of lssuance do noL appear aL all. 1he ManoLoks unLll now has noL offered any explanaLlon as Lo
such condlLlon of Lhe alleged LlLle of Severlno ManoLok, Lhey asserL LhaL lL ls Lhe 8eglsLer of ueeds
hlmself who should be ln a poslLlon Lo explaln LhaL condlLlon of Lhe 1C1 ln hls cusLody." 8uL Lhen, no
8eglsLer of ueeds had LesLlfled and aLLesLed Lo Lhe facL LhaL Lhe orlglnal of 1C1 no. 22813 was under
hls/her cusLody, nor LhaL sald cerLlflcaLe of LlLle ln Lhe name of Severlno ManoLok exlsLed ln Lhe flles of
Lhe 8eglsLry of ueeds of Caloocan or Cuezon ClLy. 1he ManoLoks conslsLenLly evaded havlng Lo explaln
Lhe clrcumsLances as Lo how and where 1C1 no. 22813 came abouL. lnsLead, Lhey urge Lhls CourL Lo
valldaLe Lhelr alleged LlLle on Lhe basls of Lhe dlspuLable presumpLlon of regularlLy ln Lhe performance
of offlclal duLy. Such sLance hardly saLlsfles Lhe sLandard of clear and convlnclng evldence ln Lhese
cases. Lven Lhe exlsLence of Lhe offlclal recelpLs showlng paymenL of Lhe prlce Lo Lhe land by Severlno
ManoLok does noL prove LhaL Lhe land was legally conveyed Lo hlm wlLhouL any conLracL of sale havlng
been execuLed by Lhe governmenL ln hls favor. nelLher dld Lhe alleged lssuance of 1C1 no. 22183 ln hls
favor vesL ownershlp upon hlm over Lhe land nor dld lL valldaLe Lhe alleged purchase of LoL 283, whlch
ls null and vold. 1he absence of Lhe SecreLary's approval ln CerLlflcaLe of Sale no. 1034 made Lhe
supposed sale ooll ooJ volJ ob loltlo.[6]

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ln Lhe llghL of Lhe foregolng, Lhe clalm of Lhe 8arques who, [usL llke Lhe Manahans, were unable
Lo produce an auLhenLlc and genulne sale cerLlflcaLe, musL llkewlse fall. 1he ueclslon dlscussed
exLenslvely Lhe flndlngs of Lhe CA LhaL Lhe 8arques' documenLary evldence were elLher spurlous or
lrregularly procured, whlch even buLLressed Lhe earller flndlngs menLloned ln Lhe uecember 18, 2008
8esoluLlon. 1he CA's flndlngs and recommendaLlons wlLh respecL Lo Lhe clalms of all parLles, have
been fully adopLed by Lhls CourL, as evldenL ln our dlsqulslLlons on Lhe lndlspensable requlremenL of a
valldly lssued CerLlflcaLe of Sale over LoL 823, ledad LsLaLe.
As Lo Lhe moLlon of Lhe Manahans Lo admlL an alleged cerLlfled Lrue copy of Sale CerLlflcaLe no.
311 daLed !une 23, 1913 ln Lhe name of valenLln Manahan whlch, as alleged ln Lhe aLLached Sworn
LxplanaLlon of Lvelyn C. Celzo, Lhe laLLer hadlnadverLenLly falled Lo aLLach Lo her lnvesLlgaLlon 8eporL
forwarded Lo Lhe CLn8C, Lhls CourL cannoL granL sald moLlon.
1hls belaLedly submlLLed copy of Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 311 was noL among Lhose offlclal
documenLs whlch Lhe Cfflce of Lhe SollclLor Ceneral (CSC) offered as evldence, as ln facL no copy
Lhereof can be found ln Lhe records of elLher Lhe uLn8-nC8 or LM8. Moreover, Lhe sudden
emergence of Lhls unauLhenLlcaLed documenL ls susplclous, conslderlng LhaL Celzo who LesLlfled, as
wlLness for boLh Lhe CSC and Lhe Manahans, caLegorlcally admlLLed LhaL she never acLually saw Lhe
appllcaLlon Lo purchase and alleged Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 311 of Lhe Manahans. 1he relevanL porLlons of
Lhe LranscrlpL of sLenographlc noLes of Lhe cross- examlnaLlon of sald wlLness durlng Lhe hearlng
before Lhe CA are hereln quoLed:
A11?. SAn !uAn:
Pow abouL Lhls parL concernlng valenLln Manahan havlng applled for Lhe purchase of Lhe
land? uld you geL Lhls from Lhe nelghbors or from lellclLas Manahan?
x x x x
Wl1nLSS:
no, slr. Cnly Lhe 8ecords SecLlon, slr, LhaL valenLln Manahan applled, slr.
A11?. SAn !uAn:
?ou dld noL see valenLln Manahan's appllcaLlon buL only Lhe 8ecords SecLlon saw lL?
Wl1nLSS:
?es, slr.
A11?. SAn !uAn:
uld Lhey Lell you LhaL Lhey saw Lhe appllcaLlon?
Wl1nLSS:
l dld noL go furLher, slr.

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x x x x
A11?. SAn !uAn:
And Lhls reporL of yours says LhaL valenLln Manahan was lssued Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 311
afLer compleLlng Lhe paymenL of Lhe prlce of 2,140?
Wl1nLSS:
?es, slr.
A11?. SAn !uAn:
?ou also goL Lhls from Lhe records of Lhe LM8, ls LhaL correcL?
Wl1nLSS:
?es, slr.
A11?. SAn !uAn:
?ou acLually saw Lhe sale cerLlflcaLe LhaL was lssued Lo valenLln Manahan afLer he pald
Lhe prlce of 2,140?
Wl1nLSS:
no, slr. l dld noL go furLher.
A11?. SAn !uAn:
?ou dld noL see Lhe sale cerLlflcaLe?
Wl1nLSS:
?es, Slr, buL l asked only.
A11?. SAn !uAn:
Who dld you ask?
Wl1nLSS:
1he records offlcer, slr.
A11?. SAn !uAn:
Whose name you can no longer recall, correcL?
Wl1nLSS:

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l can no longer recall, slr.
A11?. SAn !uAn:
And Lhe lnformaLlon Lo you was Lhe Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 311 was lssued afLer Lhe prlce
was fully pald?
Wl1nLSS:
?es, slr.
A11?. SAn !uAn:
And lL was only afLer he applled for Lhe purchase of Lhe loL someLlme afLer Lhe survey of
1939 LhaL he was lssued sale cerLlflcaLe no. 311?
Wl1nLSS:
l am noL aware of Lhe lssuance of sale cerLlflcaLe. l am aware only of Lhe deed of
asslgnmenL, Slr.
x x x x[7] (Lmphasls supplled.)

ln vlew of Lhe above admlsslon, Celzo's explanaLlon LhaL Lhe copy of Sale CerLlflcaLe no.
311 slgned by Lhe ulrecLor of Lands and SecreLary of Lhe lnLerlor was orlglnally aLLached Lo her
lnvesLlgaLlon 8eporL, cannoL be glven credence. Lven her LesLlmony regardlng Lhe conducL of
her lnvesLlgaLlon of LoL 823, ledad LsLaLe and Lhe lnvesLlgaLlon 8eporL she submlLLed
LhereafLer, falled Lo lmpress Lhe CA on Lhe valldlLy of Lhe Manahans' clalm. lndeed, records
showed LhaL Celzo's flndlngs ln her reporL were merely based on whaL lellclLas Manahan Lold
her abouL Lhe alleged occupaLlon and possesslon by valenLln Manahan of Lhe sub[ecL land.
ln Lhelr Cffer of AddlLlonal Lvldence, Lhe Manahans submlLLed a phoLocopy of a leLLer
daLed uecember 21, 2010 allegedly senL by ALLy. Allan v. 8arcena (ClC, ulrecLor) Lo Lhelr
counsel, ALLy. 8omeo C. dela Cruz, whlch reads:
1hls has reference Lo your leLLer daLed AugusL 20, 2010 addressed Lo Lhe SecreLary of Lhe
ueparLmenL of LnvlronmenL and naLural 8esources (uLn8) requesLlng LhaL ueed of Conveyance
no. v-200022 lssued on CcLober 30, 2000 over LoL 823 of Lhe ledad LsLaLe ln favor of lellclLas
8. Manahan be raLlfled or conflrmed for reasons sLaLed Lhereln. 1he Cfflce of Lhe uLn8
SecreLary ln Lurn referred Lhe leLLer Lo us for approprlaLe acLlon.
8ecords of Lhls Cfflce on LoL 823 of Lhe ledad LsLaLe, show LhaL Lhe ueed of Conveyance no. v-
200022 coverlng sald loL ln favor of lellclLas Manahan was lssued by Lhen ulrecLor of Lhe Land
ManagemenL 8ureau (LM8), now undersecreLary LrnesLo u. Adobo, !r., on CcLober 30, 2000.

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1he ueed was lssued based on Ceneral Memorandum Crder (CMC) no. 1 lssued by Lhen
SecreLary !ose !. Leldo, !r. of Lhe ueparLmenL of naLural 8esources on !anuary 17, 1977, whlch
auLhorlzed Lhe ulrecLor of Lands, now ulrecLor of LM8, Lo approve conLracLs of sale and deeds
of conveyance affecLlng lrlar Lands.
lL ls sLressed LhaL Lhe conflrmaLlon of Lhe ueed by Lhls offlce ls only as Lo Lhe execuLlon and
lssuance based on Lhe auLhorlLy of LM8 ulrecLor under CMC no. 1. 1hls ls wlLhouL pre[udlce Lo
Lhe flnal declslon of Lhe Supreme CourL as Lo lLs valldlLy ln Lhe case of Severlno ManoLok lv, eL
al. versus Pelrs of Pomer L, 8arque" (C.8. no. 162333 & 162603).
lease be gulded accordlngly.[8] (Lmphasls supplled.)
Powever, ln Lhe absence of a valld cerLlflcaLe of sale duly slgned by Lhe SecreLary of lnLerlor or
AgrlculLure and naLural 8esources, such alleged conflrmaLlon of Lhe execuLlon and lssuance by
Lhe uLn8-LM8 of ueed of Conveyance no v-00022 ln favor of lellclLas Manahan on CcLober 30,
2000 ls sLlll lnsufflclenL Lo prove Lhe Manahans' clalm over Lhe sub[ecL land.
ln a SupplemenLal ManlfesLaLlon daLed november 18, 2010, Lhe ManoLoks submlLLed an
affldavlL supposedlyexecuLed on november 11, 2010 by former uLn8 SecreLary Mlchael 1.
uefensor(uefensor AffldavlL") clarlfylng LhaL MC 16-03 applles Lo all ueeds of Conveyance LhaL
do noL bear Lhe slgnaLure of Lhe SecreLary of naLural 8esources, conLrary Lo Lhe CA and Lhls
CourL's sLaLemenL LhaL sald lssuance refers only Lo Lhose deeds of conveyance on flle wlLh Lhe
records of Lhe uLn8 fleld offlces.
8y lLs express Lerms, however, MC 16-03 covered only deeds of conveyances and noL
unslgned cerLlflcaLes of sale. 1he explanaLlon of SecreLary uefensor sLaLed Lheavowed purpose
behlnd Lhe lssuance, whlch ls Lo remove doubLs or dlspel ob[ecLlons as Lo Lhe valldlLy of all
1orrens Lransfer cerLlflcaLes of LlLle lssued over frlar lands" Lhereby raLlfylng Lhe deeds of
conveyance Lo Lhe frlar land buyers who have fully pald Lhe purchase prlce, and are oLherwlse
noL shown Lo have commlLLed any wrong or lllegallLy ln acqulrlng such lands."
1he Manahans propounded Lhe same Lheory LhaL conLracLs of sale over frlar lands
wlLhouL Lhe approval of Lhe SecreLary of naLural 8esources may be subsequenLly raLlfled, buL
polnLed ouL LhaL unllke Lhe ManoLoks' ueed of Conveyance no. 29204 (1932), Lhelr ueed of
Conveyance no. v-2000-22 (2000) was lssued and approved by Lhe ulrecLor of Lands upon prlor
auLhorlLy granLed by Lhe SecreLary.
ln Lhelr ConsolldaLed Memorandum daLed uecember 19, 2010, Lhe Manahans relLeraLed
Lhelr earller argumenL LhaL Lhe LM8 ulrecLor hlmself had Lhe auLhorlLy Lo approve conLracLs of
sale and deeds of conveyance over frlar lands on Lhe basls of Ceneral Memorandum Crder no.
1 lssued ln 1977 by Lhen SecreLary of naLural 8esources !ose !. Leldo, !r. delegaLlng such
funcLlon Lo Lhe ulrecLor of Lands. 1hls delegaLed power can also be gleaned from Sec. 13,

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ChapLer 1, 1lLle xlv of Lhe AdmlnlsLraLlve Code of 1987 whlch provldes LhaL Lhe ulrecLor of
Lands shall perform such oLher funcLlons as may be provlded by law or asslgned by Lhe
SecreLary." Moreover, former resldenL Corazon C. Aqulno lssued LxecuLlve Crder no. 131
daLed !anuary 20, 1987 reorganlzlng Lhe LM8 and provldlng LhaL Lhe LM8 ulrecLor shall, among
oLhers, perform oLher funcLlons as may be asslgned by Lhe MlnlsLer of naLural 8esources.
Cn Lhe basls of ArL. 1317[9] of Lhe Clvll Code, Lhe Manahans conLend LhaL deeds of
conveyance noL bearlng Lhe slgnaLure of Lhe SecreLary can also be raLlfled. lurLher, Lhey clLe
roclamaLlon no. 172 lssued by former resldenL !oseph L[erclLo LsLrada whlch declared LhaL
Lhere should be no legal lmpedlmenL for Lhe LM8 Lo lssue such deeds of conveyance slnce Lhe
appllcanLs/purchasers have already pald Lhe purchase prlce of Lhe loL, and as sellers ln good
falLh, lL ls Lhe obllgaLlon of Lhe CovernmenL Lo dellver Lo sald appllcanLs/purchasers Lhe frlar
lands sold free of any llen or encumbrance whaLsoever. LvenLually, when MC 16-03 was lssued
by SecreLary uefensor, all Lhese deeds of conveyance lacklng Lhe slgnaLure of Lhe SecreLary of
naLural 8esources are Lhus deemed slgned or oLherwlse raLlfled. 1he CA accordlngly erred ln
holdlng LhaL MC 16-03 cannoL overrlde AcL no. 1120 whlch requlres LhaL a deed of conveyance
musL be slgned by Lhe SecreLary, conslderlng LhaL MC 16-03 ls based on law and presldenLlal
lssuances, parLlcularly LC 131, whlch have Lhe force of law.
Meanwhlle, ln compllance wlLh our dlrecLlve, Lhe SollclLor Ceneral flled hls CommenL on
Lhe uefensor AffldavlL submlLLed by Lhe ManoLoks. 1he SollclLor Ceneral conLends LhaL sald
documenL ls hearsay evldence, hence lnadmlsslble and wlLhouL probaLlve value. Pe polnLs ouL
LhaL former uLn8 SecreLary uefensor was noL presenLed as a wlLness durlng Lhe hearlngs aL Lhe
CA, Lhus deprlvlng Lhe parLles lncludlng Lhe governmenL of Lhe rlghL Lo cross-examlne hlm
regardlng hls allegaLlons Lhereln. And even assumlng arguendo LhaL such affldavlL ls admlsslble
as evldence, Lhe SollclLor Ceneral ls of Lhe vlew LhaL Lhe ManoLoks, 8arques and Manahans sLlll
cannoL beneflL from Lhe remedlal effecL of MC 16-03 ln vlew of Lhe declslon rendered by Lhls
CourL whlch ruled LhaL none of Lhe parLles ln Lhls case has esLabllshed a valld allenaLlon from
Lhe CovernmenL of LoL 823 of Lhe ledad LsLaLe, and also because Lhe curaLlve effecL of MC 16-
03 ls lnLended only for frlar land buyers whose deeds of conveyance lack Lhe slgnaLure of Lhe
SecreLary of Lhe lnLerlor or AgrlculLure and naLural 8esources, have fully pald Lhe purchase
prlce and are oLherwlse noL shown Lo have commlLLed any wrong or lllegallLy ln acqulrlng Lhe
frlar lands. Pe Lhen emphaslzes LhaL Lhls CourL has ruled LhaL lL ls noL only Lhe deed of
conveyance whlch musL be slgned by Lhe SecreLary buL also Lhe cerLlflcaLe of sale lLself. Slnce
none of Lhe parLles has shown a valld dlsposlLlon Lo any of Lhem of LoL 823 of Lhe ledad LsLaLe,
Lhls CourL Lherefore correcLly held LhaL sald frlar land ls sLlll parL of Lhe paLrlmonlal properLy of
Lhe naLlonal governmenL.

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1he CourL ls noL persuaded by Lhe raLlflcaLlon Lheory" espoused by Lhe ManoLoks and
Manahans.
1he argumenL LhaL Lhe ulrecLor of Lands had delegaLed auLhorlLy Lo approve conLracLs
of sale and deeds of conveyances over frlar landslgnores Lhe conslsLenL rullng of Lhls CourL ln
conLroversles lnvolvlng frlar lands. 1he aforemenLloned presldenLlal/execuLlve lssuances
noLwlLhsLandlng, Lhls CourL held ln Solld SLaLe MulLl-roducLs CorporaLlon v. CA,[10] Llao v.
CourL of Appeals,[11]and Alonso v. Cebu CounLry Club[12] LhaL approval of Lhe SecreLary of
AgrlculLure and Commerce (laLer Lhe naLural 8esources) ls lndlspensable Lo Lhe valldlLy of sale
of frlar land pursuanL Lo Sec. 18 of AcL no. 1120 and LhaL Lhe procedure lald down by sald law
musL be sLrlcLly complled wlLh.
As Lo Lhe appllcablllLy of ArL. 1317 of Lhe Clvll Code, we malnLaln LhaL conLracLs of sale
lacklng Lhe approval of Lhe SecreLary fall under Lhe class of vold and lnexlsLenL conLracLs
enumeraLed ln ArL. 1409[13] whlch cannoL be raLlfled. SecLlon 18 of AcL no. 1120 mandaLed
Lhe approval by Lhe SecreLary for a sale of frlar land Lo be valld.
ln hls dlssenLlng oplnlon, !usLlce AnLonlo 1. Carplo dlsagreed wlLh Lhe ma[orlLy's
lnLerpreLaLlon of SecLlon 18 of AcL no. 1120, and proposed LhaL based on SecLlon 12 of Lhe
same AcL, lL ls Lhe ueed of Conveyance LhaL musL bear Lhe slgnaLure of Lhe SecreLary of
lnLerlor/AgrlculLure and naLural 8esources because lL ls only when Lhe flnal lnsLallmenL ls pald
LhaL Lhe SecreLary can approve Lhe sale, Lhe purchase prlce havlng been fully pald." lL was
polnLed ouL LhaL Lhe ma[orlLy lLself expressly admlL LhaL lL ls only a mlnlsLerlal duLy on Lhe parL
of Lhe SecreLary Lo slgn Lhe ueed of Conveyance once Lhe appllcanL had made full paymenL on
Lhe purchase prlce of Lhe land", clLlng [urlsprudence Lo Lhe effecL LhaL noLwlLhsLandlng Lhe
fallure of Lhe governmenL Lo lssue Lhe proper lnsLrumenL of conveyance when Lhe purchaser
flnally pays Lhe flnal lnsLallmenL of Lhe purchase prlce, Lhe purchase of Lhe frlar land sLlll
acqulred ownershlp.
We are unable Lo agree wlLh Lhe vlew LhaL lL ls only Lhe ulrecLor of Lands who slgns Lhe
CerLlflcaLe of Sale.
1he offlclal documenL denomlnaLed as Sale CerLlflcaLe" clearly requlred boLh Lhe
slgnaLures of Lhe ulrecLor of Lands who lssued such sale cerLlflcaLe Lo an appllcanL
seLLler/occupanL and Lhe SecreLary of Lhe lnLerlor/AgrlculLure and naLural 8esources lndlcaLlng
hls approval of Lhe sale. 1hese forms had been prepared and lssued by Lhe Chlef of Lhe 8ureau
of ubllc Lands under Lhe supervlslon of Lhe SecreLary of Lhe lnLerlor, conslsLenL wlLh AcL no.
1120 as may be necessary x x x Lo carry lnLo effecL all Lhe provlslons [Lhereof] LhaL are Lo be
admlnlsLered by or under [hls] dlrecLlon, and for Lhe conducL of all proceedlngs arlslng under
such provlslons."[14]

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We relLeraLe LhaL SecLlon 18 of AcL no. 1120, as amended, ls plaln and caLegorlcal ln
sLaLlng LhaL:
SLC1lCn 18. no lease or sale made by Lhe Chlef of Lhe 8ureau of ubllc Lands under Lhe
provlslons of Lhls AcL shall be valld unLll approved by Lhe SecreLary of Lhe lnLerlor.
SecLlon 12 dld noL menLlon Lhe requlremenL of slgnaLure or approval of Lhe SecreLary ln
Lhe sale cerLlflcaLe and deed of conveyance.
SLC1lCn 12. lL shall be Lhe duLy of Lhe Chlef of Lhe 8ureau of ubllc Lands by proper
lnvesLlgaLlon Lo ascerLaln whaL ls Lhe acLual value of Lhe parcel of land held by each seLLler and
occupanL, Laklng lnLo conslderaLlon Lhe locaLlon and quallLy of each holdlng of land, and any
oLher clrcumsLances glvlng [lL] value. 1he basls of valuaLlon shall llkewlse be, so far as
pracLlcable, such [as] Lhe aggregaLe of Lhe values of all Lhe holdlngs lncluded ln each parLlcular
LracL shall be equal Lo Lhe cosL Lo Lhe CovernmenL Lo Lhe enLlre LracL, lncludlng Lhe cosL of
surveys, admlnlsLraLlon and lnLeresL upon Lhe purchase money Lo Lhe Llme of sale. When Lhe
cosL Lhereof shall have been Lhus ascerLalned, Lhe Chlef of Lhe 8ureau of ubllc Lands shall glve
Lhe sald seLLler and occupanL a cerLlflcaLe whlch shall seL forLh ln deLall LhaL Lhe CovernmenL has
agreed Lo sell Lo such seLLler and occupanL Lhe amounL of land so held by hlm, aL Lhe prlce so
flxed, payable as provlded ln Lhls AcL aL Lhe offlce of Lhe Chlef of 8ureau of ubllc Lands, ln gold
coln of Lhe unlLed SLaLes or lLs equlvalenL ln hlllpplne currency, and LhaL upon Lhe paymenL of
Lhe flnal lnsLallmenL LogeLher wlLh [Lhe] accrued lnLeresL Lhe CovernmenL wlll convey Lo such
seLLler and occupanL Lhe sald land so held by hlm by proper lnsLrumenL of conveyance, whlch
shall be lssued and become effecLlve ln Lhe manner provlded ln secLlon one hundred and
LwenLy-Lwo of Lhe Land 8eglsLraLlon AcL. 1he Chlef of Lhe 8ureau of ubllc Lands shall, ln each
lnsLance where a cerLlflcaLe ls glven Lo Lhe seLLler and occupanL of any holdlng, Lake hls formal
recelpL showlng Lhe dellvery of such cerLlflcaLe, slgned by sald seLLler and occupanL.

Cn Lhe oLher hand, Lhe flrsL paragraph of SecLlon 13 provldes for Lhe reservaLlon of LlLle
ln Lhe CovernmenL only for Lhe purpose of ensurlng paymenL of Lhe purchase prlce, whlch
means LhaL Lhe sale was sub[ecL only Lo Lhe resoluLory condlLlon of non-paymenL, whlle Lhe
second paragraph sLaLes LhaL Lhe purchaser Lhereby acqulres Lhe rlghL of possesslon and
purchase" by vlrLue of a cerLlflcaLe of sale slgned under Lhe provlslons [Lhereof]." 1he
cerLlflcaLe of sale evldences Lhe meeLlng of Lhe mlnds beLween Lhe CovernmenL and Lhe
appllcanL regardlng Lhe prlce, Lhe speclflc parcel of frlar land, and Lerms of paymenL. ln uela
1orre v. CourL of Appeals,[13]we explalned LhaL Lhe non-paymenL of Lhe full purchase prlce ls
Lhe only recognlzed resoluLory condlLlon ln Lhe case of sale of frlar lands. We have also held
LhaL lL ls Lhe execuLlon of Lhe conLracL Lo sell and dellvery of Lhe cerLlflcaLe of sale LhaL vesLs
LlLle and ownershlp Lo Lhe purchaser of frlar land.[16] Where Lhere ls no cerLlflcaLe of sale
lssued, Lhe purchaser does noL acqulre any rlghL of possesslon and purchase, as lmplled from

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SecLlon 13. 8y Lhe mandaLory language of SecLlon 18, Lhe absence of approval of Lhe SecreLary
of lnLerlor/AgrlculLure and naLural 8esources ln Lhe lease or sale of frlar land would lnvalldaLe
Lhe sale. 1hese provlslons read LogeLher lndlcaLe LhaL Lhe approval of Lhe SecreLary ls requlred
ln boLh Lhe cerLlflcaLe of sale and deed of conveyance, alLhough Lhe lack of slgnaLure of Lhe
SecreLary ln Lhe laLLer may noL defeaL Lhe rlghLs of Lhe appllcanL who had fully pald Lhe
purchase prlce.
!usLlce ConchlLa Carplo Morales' dlssenL asserLed LhaL case law does noL caLegorlcally
sLaLe LhaL Lhe requlred approval" musL be ln Lhe form of a slgnaLure on Lhe CerLlflcaLe of Sale,
and LhaL Lhere ls no sLaLuLory basls for Lhe requlremenL of Lhe SecreLary's slgnaLure on Lhe
CerLlflcaLe of Sale aparL from a sLralned deducLlon of SecLlon 18."
As already sLaLed, Lhe offlclal forms belng used by Lhe CovernmenL for Lhls purpose
clearly show LhaL Lhe ulrecLor of Lands slgns every cerLlflcaLe of sale lssued coverlng a speclflc
parcel of frlar land ln favor of Lhe appllcanL/purchaser whlle Lhe SecreLary of lnLerlor/naLural
8esources slgns Lhe documenL lndlcaLlng LhaL Lhe sale was approved by hlm. 1o approve ls Lo
be saLlsfled wlLh, Lo conflrm, raLlfy, sancLlon, or consenL Lo some acL or Lhlng done by anoLher,
Lo sancLlon offlclally.[17] 1he SecreLary of lnLerlor/naLural 8esources slgns and approves Lhe
CerLlflcaLe of Sale Lo conflrm and offlclally sancLlon Lhe conveyance of frlar lands execuLed by
Lhe Chlef of Lhe 8ureau of ubllc Lands (laLer ulrecLor of Lands). lL ls worLh menLlonlng LhaLSale
CerLlflcaLe no. 631 ln Lhe name of one Ambroslo 8erones daLed !une 23, 1913,[18]also coverlng
LoL 823 of Lhe ledad LsLaLe and formlng parL of Lhe offlclal documenLs on flle wlLh Lhe uLn8-
LM8 whlch was formally offered by Lhe CSC as parL of Lhe offlclal records on flle wlLh Lhe uLn8
and LM8 perLalnlng Lo LoL 823, conLalns Lhe slgnaLure of boLh Lhe ulrecLor of Lands and
SecreLary of Lhe lnLerlor. 1he AsslgnmenL of Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 631 daLed Aprll 19, 1930 was
also slgned by Lhe ulrecLor of Lands.[19]
lollowlng Lhe dlssenL's lnLerpreLaLlon LhaL Lhe SecreLary ls noL requlred Lo slgn Lhe
cerLlflcaLe of sale whlle hls slgnaLure ln Lhe ueed of Conveyance may also appear alLhough
merely a mlnlsLerlal acL, lL would resulL ln Lhe absurd slLuaLlon whereln LhecerLlflcaLe of sale
and deed of conveyance boLh lacked Lhe slgnaLure and approval of Lhe SecreLary, and yeL Lhe
purchaser's ownershlp ls raLlfled, courLesy of uLn8 Memorandum Crder (MC) no. 16-03. lL ls
also noL farfeLched LhaL greaLer chaos wlll arlse from confllcLlng clalms over frlar lands, whlch
could noL be deflnlLlvely seLLled unLll Lhe genulne and offlclal manlfesLaLlon of Lhe SecreLary's
approval of Lhe sale ls dlscerned from Lhe records and documenLs presenLed. 1hls sLaLe of
Lhlngs ls slmply noL envlsloned under Lhe orderly and proper dlsLrlbuLlon of frlar lands Lo bona
flde occupanLs and seLLlers whom Lhe Chlef of Lhe 8ureau of ubllc Lands was Lasked Lo
ldenLlfy.[20]

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1he exlsLence of a valld cerLlflcaLe of sale Lherefore musL flrsL be esLabllshed wlLh clear
and convlnclng evldence before a purchaser ls deemed Lo have acqulred ownershlp over a frlar
land noLwlLhsLandlng Lhe non-lssuance by Lhe CovernmenL, for some reason or anoLher, of a
deed of conveyance afLer compleLlng Lhe lnsLallmenL paymenLs. ln Lhe absence of such
cerLlflcaLe of sale duly slgned by Lhe SecreLary, no rlghL can be recognlzed ln favor of Lhe
appllcanL. nelLher would any asslgnee or Lransferee acqulre any rlghL over Lhe sub[ecL land.
ln Alonso v. Cebu CounLry Club, lnc.,[21] Lhe CourL caLegorlcally ruled LhaL Lhe absence
of approval by Lhe SecreLary of AgrlculLure and Commerce ln Lhe sale cerLlflcaLe and
asslgnmenL of sale cerLlflcaLe made Lhe sale null and vold ab lnlLlo. necessarlly, Lhere can be no
valld LlLles lssued on Lhe basls of such sale or asslgnmenL.[22]
!usLlce Carplo, however, oplned LhaL Lhe rullng ln Alonso was superseded wlLh Lhe
lssuance by Lhen ueparLmenL of [LnvlronmenL] and naLural 8esources (uLn8) SecreLary
Mlchael 1. uefensor of uLn8 Memorandum Crder no. 16-03." lL was argued LhaL Lhe ma[orlLy
had consLrued a llmlLed appllcaLlon" when lL declared LhaL Lhe ManoLoks could noL beneflL
from sald memorandum order because Lhe laLLer refers only Lo deeds of conveyance on flle
wlLh Lhe records of Lhe uLn8 fleld offlces".
We dlsagree wlLh Lhe vlew LhaL Alonso ls no longer appllcable Lo Lhls conLroversy afLer Lhe
lssuance of uLn8 MC no. 16-03 whlch supposedly cured Lhe defecL ln Lhe ManoLoks' LlLle.
llrsL, uLn8 MC no. 16-03 expllclLly makes reference only Lo ueeds of Conveyances, noL Lo
Sale CerLlflcaLes by whlch, under Lhe express language of SecLlon 13, Lhe purchaser of frlar land
acqulres Lhe rlghL of possesslon and purchase pendlng flnal paymenL and Lhe lssuance of LlLle,
such cerLlflcaLe belng duly slgned under Lhe provlslons of AcL no. 1120. AlLhough Lhe whereas
clause of MC no. 16-03 correcLly sLaLed LhaL lL was only a mlnlsLerlal duLy on Lhe parL of Lhe
SecreLary Lo slgn Lhe ueed of Conveyance once Lhe appllcanL had made full paymenL on Lhe
purchase prlce of Lhe land, lL musL be sLressed LhaL ln Lhose lnsLances where Lhe formallLy of
Lhe SecreLary's approval and slgnaLure ls dlspensed wlLh, Lhere was a valld cerLlflcaLe of sale
lssued Lo Lhe purchaser or Lransferor. ln Lhls case, Lhere ls no lndlcaLlon ln Lhe records LhaL a
cerLlflcaLe of sale was acLually lssued Lo Lhe asslgnors of Severlno ManoLok, allegedly Lhe
orlglnal clalmanLs of LoL 823, ledad LsLaLe.
Second, lL ls baslc LhaL an admlnlsLraLlve lssuance llke uLn8 Memorandum Crder no. 16-
03 musL conform Lo and noL conLravene exlsLlng laws. ln Lhe lnLerpreLaLlon and consLrucLlon of
Lhe sLaLuLes enLrusLed Lo Lhem for lmplemenLaLlon, admlnlsLraLlve agencles may noL make
rules and regulaLlons whlch are lnconslsLenL wlLh Lhe sLaLuLe lL ls admlnlsLerlng, or whlch are ln
derogaLlon of, or defeaL lLs purpose. ln case of confllcL beLween a sLaLuLe and an admlnlsLraLlve
order, Lhe former musL prevall.[23] uLn8 Memorandum Crder no. 16-03 cannoL supersede or

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amend Lhe clear mandaLe of SecLlon 18, AcL no. 1120 as Lo dlspense wlLh Lhe requlremenL of
approval by Lhe SecreLary of Lhe lnLerlor/AgrlculLure and naLural 8esources of every lease or
sale of frlar lands.
8uL whaL ls worse, as Lhe dlssenL suggesLs, ls LhaL MC 16-03 would apply even Lo Lhose
deeds of conveyances noL found ln Lhe records of uLn8 or lLs fleld offlces, such as Lhe
ManoLoks' ueed of Conveyance no. 29204 sourced from Lhe naLlonal Archlves. lL would Lhen
cover cases of clalmanLs who have noL been lssued any cerLlflcaLe of sale buL were able Lo
produce a deed of conveyance ln Lhelr names. 1he 8ureau of Lands was orlglnally charged wlLh
Lhe admlnlsLraLlon of all laws relaLlve Lo frlar lands, pursuanL Lo AcL no. 2637 and AcL no. 2711.
under LxecuLlve Crder no. 192,[24] Lhe funcLlons and powers prevlously held by Lhe 8ureau of
Lands were absorbed by Lhe Lands ManagemenL 8ureau (LM8) of Lhe uLn8, whlle Lhose
funcLlons and powers noL absorbed by Lhe LM8 were Lransferred Lo Lhe reglonal fleld
offlces.[23] As polnLed ouL by Lhe SollclLor Ceneral ln Lhe Memorandum submlLLed Lo Lhe CA,
slnce Lhe LM8 and uLn8-nC8 exerclse sole auLhorlLy over frlar lands, Lhey are naLurally Lhe
sole reposlLory of documenLs and records relaLlve Lo LoL no. 823 of Lhe ledad LsLaLe."[26]
1hlrd, Lhe percelved dlsquleLlng effecLs on LlLles over frlar lands long held by generaLlons
of landowners cannoL be lnvoked as [usLlflcaLlon for leglLlmlzlng any clalm or acqulslLlon of
Lhese lands obLalned Lhrough fraud or wlLhouL sLrlcL compllance wlLh Lhe procedure lald down
ln AcL no. 1120. 1hls CourL, ln denylng wlLh flnallLy Lhe moLlon for reconslderaLlon flled by
peLlLloner ln Alonso v. Cebu CounLry Club, lnc.[27] relLeraLed Lhe seLLled rule LhaL [a]pproval
by Lhe SecreLary of Lhe lnLerlor cannoL slmply be presumed or lnferred from cerLaln acLs slnce
Lhe law ls expllclL ln lLs mandaLe."[28] eLlLloners falled Lo dlscharge Lhelr burden of provlng
Lhelr acqulslLlon of LlLle by clear and convlnclng evldence, conslderlng Lhe naLure of Lhe land
lnvolved.
As conslsLenLly held by Lhls CourL, frlar lands can be allenaLed only upon proper
compllance wlLh Lhe requlremenLs of AcL no. 1120. 1he lssuance of a valld cerLlflcaLe of sale ls
a condlLlon slne qua non for acqulslLlon of ownershlp under Lhe lrlar Lands AcL. CLherwlse,
uLn8 Memorandum Crder no. 16-03 would serve as admlnlsLraLlve lmprlmaLur Lo holders of
deeds of conveyance whose acqulslLlon may have been obLalned Lhrough lrregularlLy or fraud.
ConLrary Lo Lhe dlssenL of !usLlce Marla Lourdes . A. Sereno LhaL our declslon has
creaLed dangers for Lhe sysLem of properLy rlghLs ln Lhe hlllpplnes", Lhe CourL slmply adhered
sLrlcLly Lo Lhe leLLer and splrlL of Lhe lrlar Lands AcL and [urlsprudence lnLerpreLlng lLs
provlslons. Such lmaglned scenarlo of lnsLablllLy and chaos ln Lhe esLabllshed properLy reglme,
suggesLlng several oLher owners of lands formerly comprlslng Lhe ledad LsLaLe who are
supposedly slmllarly slLuaLed, remalns ln Lhe realm of speculaLlon. AparL from Lhelr bare
allegaLlons, peLlLloners (ManoLoks) falled Lo demonsLraLe how Lhe awardees or presenL owners

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of around more Lhan 2,000 hecLares of land ln Lhe ledad LsLaLe can be embrolled ln legal
dlspuLes arlslng from unslgned cerLlflcaLes of sale.
Cn Lhe oLher hand, Lhls CourL musL Lake on Lhe Lask of scruLlnlzlng even cerLlflcaLes of
LlLle held for decades lnvolvlng lands of Lhe publlc domaln and Lhose lands whlch form parL of
Lhe CovernmenL's paLrlmonlal properLy, whenever necessary ln Lhe compleLe ad[udlcaLlon of
Lhe conLroversy before lL or where apparenL lrregularlLles and anomalles are shown by Lhe
evldence on record. 1here ls noLhlng sacrosancL abouL Lhe landholdlngs ln Lhe ledad LsLaLe as
even prlor Lo Lhe years when LoL 823 could have been posslbly sold" or dlsposed by Lhe
8ureau of Lands, Lhere were already reporLed anomalles ln Lhe dlsLrlbuLlon of frlar lands ln
general.[29]
SlgnlflcanLly, subsequenL Lo Lhe promulgaLlon of our declslon ln Alonso, 8epubllc AcL no.
(8A) 9443 was passed by Congress conflrmlng and declarlng, sub[ecL Lo cerLaln excepLlons, Lhe
valldlLy of exlsLlng 1C1s and reconsLlLuLed cerLlflcaLes of LlLle coverlng Lhe 8anllad lrlar Lands
LsLaLe slLuaLed ln Cebu. Alonso lnvolved a frlar land already LlLled buL wlLhouL a sale cerLlflcaLe,
and upon LhaL ground we declared Lhe reglsLered owner as noL havlng acqulred ownershlp of
Lhe land. 8A 9443 valldaLed Lhe LlLles noLwlLhsLandlng Lhe lack of slgnaLures and/or approval
of Lhe Lhen SecreLary of lnLerlor (laLer SecreLary of AgrlculLure and naLural 8esources) and/or
Lhe Lhen Chlef of Lhe 8ureau of ubllc lands (laLer ulrecLor of ubllc Lands) ln Lhe coples of Lhe
duly execuLed Sale CerLlflcaLe and AsslgnmenLs of Sale CerLlflcaLes, as Lhe case may be, now on
flle wlLh Lhe CommunlLy LnvlronmenL and naLural 8esources Cfflce (CLn8C), Cebu ClLy".
1he enacLmenL of 8A 9443 slgnlfles Lhe leglslaLure's recognlLlon of Lhe sLaLuLory basls of
Lhe Alonso rullng Lo Lhe effecL LhaL ln Lhe absence of slgnaLure and/or approval of Lhe SecreLary
of lnLerlor/naLural 8esources ln Lhe CerLlflcaLes of Sale on flle wlLh Lhe CLn8C, Lhe sale ls noL
valld and Lhe purchaser has noL acqulred ownershlp of Lhe frlar land. lndeed, Congress found lL
lmperaLlve Lo pass a new law ln order Lo exempL Lhe already LlLled porLlons of Lhe 8anllad lrlar
Lands LsLaLe from Lhe operaLlon of SecLlon 18. 1hls runs counLer Lo Lhe dlssenL's maln Lhesls
LhaL a mere admlnlsLraLlve lssuance (uLn8 MC no. 16-03) would be sufflclenL Lo cure Lhe lack
of slgnaLure and approval by Lhe SecreLary ln CerLlflcaLe of Sale no. 1034 coverlng LoL 823 of
Lhe ledad LsLaLe.
ln any evenL, Lhe ManoLoks now seek Lhe appllcaLlon of 8A 9443 Lo Lhe ledad LsLaLe,
argulng LhaL for sald law Lo be consLlLuLlonally valld, lLs conLlnued operaLlon musL be
lnLerpreLed ln a manner LhaL does noL colllde wlLh Lhe equal proLecLlon clause. Conslderlng
LhaL Lhe facLs ln Alonso from whlch 8A 9443 sprung are slmllar Lo Lhose ln Lhls case, lL ls
conLended LhaL Lhere ls no reason Lo exclude Lhe ledad LsLaLe from Lhe amblL of 8A 9443.

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!usLlce Carplo's dlssenL concurs wlLh Lhls vlew, sLaLlng LhaL Lo llmlL lLs appllcaLlon Lo Lhe
8anllad lrlar Lands LsLaLe wlll resulL ln class leglslaLlon. 8A 9443 supposedly should be
exLended Lo lands slmllarly slLuaLed, clLlng Lhe case of CenLral 8ank Lmployees AssoclaLlon, lnc.
v. 8angko SenLral ng lllplnas.[30]

ln Lhe aforesald case, Lhe CourL exLended Lhe beneflLs of subsequenL laws exempLlng all rank-
and-flle employees of oLher governmenL flnanclng lnsLlLuLlons (Clls) from Lhe Salary
SLandardlzaLlon Law (SSL) Lo Lhe rank-and-flle employees of Lhe 8S. We upheld Lhe poslLlon of
peLlLloner assoclaLlon LhaL Lhe conLlnued operaLlon of SecLlon 13 (c), ArLlcle ll of 8A 7633 (Lhe
new CenLral 8ank AcL), whlch provldes LhaL Lhe compensaLlon and wage sLrucLure of
employees whose poslLlon fall under salary grade 19 and below shall be ln accordance wlLh Lhe
raLes prescrlbed under 8A 6738 (SSL), consLlLuLes lnvldlous dlscrlmlnaLlon on Lhe 2,994 rank-
and-flle employees of Lhe [8S]". 1hus, as regards Lhe exempLlon from Lhe SSL, we declared
LhaL Lhere were no characLerlsLlcs pecullar only Lo Lhe seven Clls or Lhelr rank-and-flle so as Lo
[usLlfy Lhe exempLlon from Lhe SSL whlch 8S rank-and-flle employees were denled. 1he
dlsLlncLlon made by Lhe law ls superflclal, arblLrary and noL based on subsLanLlal dlsLlncLlons
LhaL make real dlfferences beLween 8S rank-and-flle and Lhe seven oLher Clls.[31]
We are of Lhe oplnlon LhaL Lhe provlslons of 8A 9443 may noL be applled Lo Lhe presenL
case as Lo cure Lhe lack of slgnaLure of Lhe ulrecLor of Lands and approval by Lhe SecreLary of
AgrlculLure and naLural 8esources ln Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 1034.
1he CourL has explalned Lhe naLure of equal proLecLlon guaranLee ln Lhls manner:
1he equal proLecLlon of Lhe law clause ls agalnsL undue favor and lndlvldual or class prlvllege, as
well as hosLlle dlscrlmlnaLlon or Lhe oppresslon of lnequallLy. lL ls noL lnLended Lo prohlblL
leglslaLlon whlch ls llmlLed elLher ln Lhe ob[ecL Lo whlch lL ls dlrecLed or by LerrlLory wlLhln whlch
lL ls Lo operaLe. lL does noL demand absoluLe equallLy among resldenLs, lL merely requlres LhaL
all persons shall be LreaLed allke, under llke clrcumsLances and condlLlons boLh as Lo prlvlleges
conferred and llablllLles enforced. 1he equal proLecLlon clause ls noL lnfrlnged by leglslaLlon
whlch applles only Lo Lhose persons falllng wlLhln a speclfled class, lf lL applles allke Lo all
persons wlLhln such class, and reasonable grounds exlsL for maklng a dlsLlncLlon beLween Lhose
who fall wlLhln such class and Lhose who do noL.[32] (Lmphasls and underscorlng supplled.)

SecLlon 1 of 8A 9443 provldes:
SecLlon 1. All exlsLlng 1ransfer CerLlflcaLes of 1lLle and 8econsLlLuLed CerLlflcaLes of 1lLle duly
lssued by Lhe 8eglsLer of ueeds of Cebu rovlnce and/or Cebu ClLy coverlng any porLlon of Lhe

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8anllad lrlar Lands LsLaLe, noLwlLhsLandlng Lhe lack of slgnaLures and/or approval of Lhe Lhen
SecreLary of Lhe lnLerlor (laLer SecreLary of AgrlculLure and naLural 8esources) and/or Lhe Lhen
Chlef of Lhe 8ureau of ubllc Lands (laLer ulrecLor of ubllc Lands) ln Lhe coples of Lhe duly
execuLed Sale CerLlflcaLes and AsslgnmenLs of Sales CerLlflcaLes, as Lhe case may be, now on flle
wlLh Lhe CommunlLy LnvlronmenL and naLural 8esources Cfflce (CLn8C), Cebu ClLy, are hereby
conflrmed and declared as valld LlLles and Lhe reglsLered owners recognlzed as absoluLe owners
Lhereof.

1hls conflrmaLlon and declaraLlon of valldlLy shall ln all respecLs be enLlLled Lo llke effecL and
credlL as a decree of reglsLraLlon, blndlng Lhe land and quleLlng Lhe LlLle LhereLo and shall be
concluslve upon and agalnsL all persons, lncludlng Lhe naLlonal governmenL and al1 branches
Lhereof, excepL when, ln a glven case lnvolvlng a cerLlflcaLe of LlLle or areconsLlLuLed cerLlflcaLe
of LlLle, Lhere ls clear evldence LhaL such cerLlflcaLe of LlLle or reconsLlLuLed cerLlflcaLe of LlLle
was obLalned Lhrough fraud, ln whlch case Lhe sollclLor general or hls duly deslgnaLed
represenLaLlve shall lnsLlLuLe Lhe necessary [udlclal proceedlng Lo cancel Lhe cerLlflcaLe of LlLle or
reconsLlLuLed cerLlflcaLe of LlLle as Lhe case may be, obLalned Lhrough such fraud.(Lmphasls
supplled.)

WlLhouL rullng on Lhe lssue of vlolaLlon of equal proLecLlon guaranLee lf Lhe curaLlve
effecL of 8A 9443 ls noL made appllcable Lo all LlLled lands of Lhe ledad LsLaLe, lL ls clear LhaL
Lhe ManoLoks cannoL lnvoke Lhls law Lo conflrm" and valldaLe Lhelr alleged LlLle over LoL 823.
lL musL be sLressed LhaL Lhe exlsLence and due lssuance of 1C1 no. 22813 ln Lhe name of
Severlno ManoLok was noL esLabllshed by Lhe evldence on record. 1here ls llkewlse no copy of
a duly execuLed cerLlflcaLe of sale" on flle" wlLh Lhe uLn8 reglonal offlce. ln Lhe absence of
an exlsLlng cerLlflcaLe of LlLle ln Lhe name of Lhe predecessor-ln-lnLeresL of Lhe ManoLoks and
cerLlflcaLe of sale on flle wlLh Lhe uLn8/CLn8C, Lhere ls noLhlng Lo conflrm and valldaLe
Lhrough Lhe appllcaLlon of 8A 9443.
Moreover, 8A 9443 expressly excludes from lLs coverage Lhose cases lnvolvlng
cerLlflcaLes of LlLle whlch were shown Lo have been fraudulenLly or lrregularly lssued. As Lhe
reconsLlLuLlon and remand proceedlngs ln Lhese cases revealed, Lhe ManoLoks' LlLle Lo Lhe
sub[ecL frlar land, [usL llke Lhe 8arques and Manahans, ls serlously flawed. 1he CourL cannoL
allow Lhem now Lo lnvoke Lhe beneflL of conflrmaLlon and valldaLlon of ownershlp of frlar lands
under duly execuLed documenLs, whlch Lhey never had ln Lhe flrsL place. SLrlcL appllcaLlon by
Lhe courLs of Lhe mandaLory provlslons of Lhe lrlar Lands AcL ls [usLlfled by Lhe laudable pollcy
behlnd lLs enacLmenL -- Lo ensure LhaL Lhe lands acqulred by Lhe governmenL would go Lo Lhe
acLual occupanLs and seLLlers who were glven preference ln Lhelr dlsLrlbuLlon.[33]

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1he dlssenL relLeraLes LhaL Lhe exlsLence of Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 1034 was clearly and
convlnclngly esLabllshed by Lhe orlglnal of AsslgnmenL of Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 1034 daLed May 4,
1923 beLween M. 1eodoro and Severlno ManoLok as asslgnors and Severlno ManoLok as
asslgnee (approved by Lhe ulrecLor of Lands on !une 23, 1923), whlch ls on flle wlLh Lhe LM8, as
well as Lhe ueed of Conveyance no. 29204 secured from Lhe naLlonal Archlves whlch ls Lhe
reposlLory of governmenL and offlclal documenLs, Lhe orlglnal of Cfflclal 8ecelpL no. 673237
daLed 20 lebruary 1920 for cerLlfled copy of AsslgnmenL of Sale CerLlflcaLe no. 1034 on LoL 823
and Lhe orlglnal of Lhe rovlnclal Assessor's declaraLlon of LlLle ln Severlno ManoLok's name for
Lax purposes on AugusL 9, 1933 assesslng hlm beglnnlng wlLh Lhe year 1933. 1he dlssenL
furLher llsLed some of Lhose alleged sale cerLlflcaLes, asslgnmenL deeds and deeds of
conveyance elLher slgned by Lhe ulrecLor of Lands only or unslgned by boLh ulrecLor of Lands
and SecreLary of lnLerlor/naLural 8esources, gaLhered by Lhe ManoLoks from Lhe LM8. lL was
sLressed LhaL lf MC 16-03 ls noL applled Lo Lhese huge LracLs of land wlLhln and ouLslde MeLro
Manlla, [P]undreds of Lhousands, lf noL mllllons, of landowners would surely be dlspossessed
of Lhelr lands ln Lhese areas," a blow Lo Lhe lnLegrlLy of our 1orrens sysLem and Lhe sLablllLy of
land LlLles ln Lhls counLry."
1he CourL has Lhoroughly examlned Lhe evldence on record and exhausLlvely dlscussed
Lhe merlLs of Lhe ManoLoks' ownershlp clalm over LoL 823, ln Lhe llghL of esLabllshed
precedenLs lnLerpreLlng Lhe provlslons of Lhe lrlar Lands AcL. 1he dlssenL even accused Lhe
ma[orlLy of mlsLakenly denlgraLlng Lhe records of Lhe naLlonal Archlves whlch, under 8.A. no.
9470 enacLed on May 21, 2007, ls mandaLed Lo sLore and preserve any publlc archlve
Lransferred Lo Lhe naLlonal Archlves" and Lasked wlLh lssulng cerLlfled Lrue coples or
cerLlflcaLlons on publlc archlves and for exLracLs Lhereof.
1he lrlar Lands AcL mandaLed a sysLem of recordlng all sale conLracLs Lo be
lmplemenLed by Lhe ulrecLor of Lands, whlch has come Lo be known as Lhe lrlar Lands Sales
8eglsLry.
SLC. 6. 1he LlLle, deeds and lnsLrumenLs of conveyance perLalnlng Lo Lhe lands ln each provlnce,
when execuLed and dellvered by sald granLors Lo Lhe CovernmenL and placed ln Lhe keeplng of
Lhe Chlef of Lhe 8ureau of ubllc Lands, as above provlded, shall be by hlm LransmlLLed Lo Lhe
reglsLer of deeds of each provlnce ln whlch any parL of sald lands lles, for reglsLraLlon ln
accordance wlLh law. 8uL before LransmlLLlng Lhe LlLle, deeds, and lnsLrumenLs of conveyance ln
Lhls secLlon menLloned Lo Lhe reglsLer of deeds of each provlnce for reglsLraLlon, Lhe Chlef of Lhe
8ureau of ubllc Lands shall record all such deeds and lnsLrumenLs aL lengLh ln one or more
books Lo be provlded by hlm for LhaL purpose and reLalned ln Lhe 8ureau of ubllc Lands, when
duly cerLlfled by hlm shall be recelved ln all courLs of Lhe hlllpplne lslands as sufflclenL evldence
of Lhe conLenLs of Lhe lnsLrumenL so recorded whenever lL ls noL pracLlcable Lo produce Lhe
orlglnals ln courL. (SecLlon 1, AcL no. 1287).

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lL ls Lhus Lhe prlmary duLy of Lhe Chlef of Lhe 8ureau of ubllc Lands Lo record all Lhese deeds
and lnsLrumenLs ln sales reglsLry books whlch shall be reLalned ln Lhe 8ureau of ubllc Lands.
unforLunaLely, Lhe LM8 falled Lo produce Lhe sales reglsLry book ln courL, whlch could have
clearly shown Lhe names of clalmanLs, Lhe parLlcular loLs and areas applled for, Lhe sale
cerLlflcaLes lssued and oLher perLlnenL lnformaLlon on Lhe sale of frlar lands wlLhln Lhe ledad
LsLaLe. WlLness 1ereslLa !. 8eyes, a reLlred AsslsLanL Chlef of Lhe 8ecords ManagemenL ulvlslon
(8Mu), LM8 who was presenLed by Lhe Manahans, LesLlfled LhaL when Lhe LM8 was
decenLrallzed, Lhe sales reglsLry books perLalnlng Lo frlar lands were supposedly Lurned over Lo
Lhe reglonal offlces. 1hese conslsLed of coples of Lhe approprlaLe pages of Lhe sales reglsLry
books ln Lhe LM8 8Mu maln offlce whlch has an lnvenLory of loLs sub[ecL of deeds of
conveyance and sales cerLlflcaLes. Powever, 8eyes sald LhaL Lhe sales reglsLry book lLself ls no
longer wlLh Lhe 8Mu. Cn Lhe oLher hand, Lhe alleged affldavlL of SecreLary uefensor daLed
november 11, 2010 sLaLes LhaL MC 16-03 was lnLended Lo address slLuaLlons when deeds of
conveyance lacked Lhe slgnaLure of Lhe SecreLary of AgrlculLure and Commerce, or such deeds
or records from whlch Lhe SecreLary's slgnaLure or approval may be verlfled were losL or
unavallable.
WheLher Lhe frlar lands reglsLry book ls sLlll avallable ln Lhe LM8 or properly Lurned over
Lo Lhe reglonal offlces remalns unclear. WlLh Lhe sLaLuLorlly prescrlbed record-keeplng of sales
of frlar lands apparenLly ln dlsarray, lL behooves on Lhe courLs Lo be more [udlclous ln seLLllng
confllcLlng clalms over frlar lands. 1lLles wlLh serlous flaws musL sLlll be carefully scruLlnlzed ln
each case. 1hus, we flnd LhaL Lhe approach ln Alonso remalns as Lhe more raLlonal and prudenL
course Lhan Lhe wholesale raLlflcaLlon lnLroduced by MC 16-03.
1he prospecL of llLlganLs loslng frlar lands Lhey have possessed for years or decades had
never deLerred courLs from upholdlng Lhe sLrlngenL requlremenLs of Lhe law for a valld
acqulslLlon of Lhese lands. 1he courL's duLy ls Lo apply Lhe law. eLlLloners' concern for oLher
landowners whlch may be slmllarly affecLed by our rullng ls, wlLhouL doubL, a leglLlmaLe one.
1he remedy Lhough lles elsewhere -- ln Lhe leglslaLure, as whaL 8.A. 9443 soughL Lo recLlfy.

WnLkLICkL, the present mot|ons for recons|derat|on are a|| hereby DLNILD w|th IINALI1.
1he mot|ons for ora| arguments and furLher recepLlon of evldence are llkewlse DLNILD.
LeL enLry of [udgmenL be made ln due course.
SC CkDLkLD.

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MAk1IN S. VILLAkAMA, Ik.
AssoclaLe !usLlce

ICC1NC1LS:
[1] C.8. no. 130876, !anuary 31, 2002, 373 SC8A 390.

[2] 339 hll. 330 (1998) and C.8. no. 110020, SepLember 23, 1998, 296 SC8A 177.

[3] C.8. nos. 123346 & 134383, uecember 14, 2007, 340 SC8A 304, 331-332, clLlng 8epubllc v. CourL of
Appeals, 339 hll. 330 (1998).

[4] ArLuro M. 1olenLlno, CommenLarles and !urlsprudence on Lhe Clvll Code of Lhe hlllpplnes, vol. ll, 1992 ed.,
p. 284.

[3] Supra noLe 1 aL 404-403, clLlng Llao v. CourL of Appeals, C.8. nos. 102961-62, 107623 & 108739, !anuary 27,
2000, 323 SC8A 430, 442.


[6] See Solld SLaLe MulLl-roducLs CorporaLlon v. CourL of Appeals, C.8. no. 83383, May 6, 1991, 196 SC8A
630, 642.

[7] 1Sn, november 18, 2009, pp. 46-48, 31-34, 94.

[8] 8ollo (C.8. no. 162603, vol. 2), pp. 2831-2837.

[9] ArL. 1317. no one may conLracL ln Lhe name of anoLher wlLhouL belng auLhorlzed by Lhe laLLer, or unless he
has by law a rlghL Lo represenL hlm.

A conLracL enLered lnLo ln Lhe name of anoLher by one who has no auLhorlLy or legal represenLaLlon, or
who has acLed beyond hls powers, shall be unenforceable, unless lL ls raLlfled, expressly or lmplledly, by Lhe person
on whose behalf lL has been execuLed, before lL ls revoked by Lhe oLher conLracLlng parLy.

[10] Supra noLe 6.

[11] Supra noLe 3.

[12] Supra noLe 3.

[13] ArL. 1409. 1he followlng conLracLs are lnexlsLenL and vold from Lhe beglnnlng:

(1) 1hose whose cause, ob[ecL or purpose ls conLrary Lo law, morals, good cusLoms, publlc order or publlc
pollcy,

(2) 1hose whlch are absoluLely slmulaLed or flcLlLlous,

(3) 1hose whose cause or ob[ecL dld noL exlsL aL Lhe Llme of Lhe LransacLlon,

(4) 1hose whose ob[ecL ls ouLslde Lhe commerce of men,

(3) 1hose whlch conLemplaLe an lmposslble servlce,

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(6) 1hose where Lhe lnLenLlon of Lhe parLles relaLlve Lo Lhe prlnclpal ob[ecL of Lhe conLracL cannoL be
ascerLalned,

(7) 1hose expressly prohlblLed or declared vold by law.

1hese conLracLs cannoL be raLlfled. nelLher can Lhe rlghL Lo seL up Lhe defense of lllegallLy be walved.
(Lmphasls supplled.)

[14] Sec. 24, AcL no. 1120.

[13] C.8. no. 113093, lebruary 8, 2000, 323 SC8A 11, 16.

[16] See !ovellanos v. CourL of Appeals, C.8. no. 100728, !une 18, 1992, 210 SC8A 126, 133.

[17] 8lack's Law ulcLlonary, llfLh Ld., p. 94.

[18] CA rollo, vol. vlll, p. 4272.

[19] ld. aL 4271.

[20] Sec. 7, AcL no. 1120.

[21] Supra noLe 1.

[22] ld. aL 404-403.

[23] See 8uben L. Agpalo,AdmlnlsLraLlve Law, Law on ubllc Cfflcers and LlecLlon Law, 2003 LdlLlon, pp. 39, 62.

[24] 8eorganlzaLlon AcL of Lhe ueparLmenL of LnvlronmenL and naLural 8esources, lssued on !une 10, 1987,
Secs. 6 and 14.

[23] ld., Secs. 20 and 21.

[26] CA rollo, vol. xv, pp. 10371-10377.

[27] 462 hll. 346 (2003).

[28] ld. aL 361.

[29] See 8ene 8. LscalanLe, 1he Amerlcan lrlar Lands ollcy: lLs lramers, ConLexL, and 8eneflclarles, 1898-1916
by 2002 (ue La Salle unlverslLy ress, lnc.) under Lhe ChapLer on 1he 1ravesLy of Lhe Land-Lo-Lhe-1lller rogram",
Lhe auLhor wroLe:

1he acreage llmlLaLlon and pro-LenanL provlslons of Lhe pollcy were noL conslsLenLly observed by Lhe lmplemenLlng
agencles. Many buyers and lessees were nelLher LenanLs nor occupanLs of Lhe frlar lands. Moreover, Lhe acreage
LhaL Lhey obLalned exceeded Lhe celllng lmposed by Lhe pollcy. LlghLy-Lwo ouL of Lhe recorded 8,847 buyers ln
1910 vlolaLed Lhe 16-hecLare llmlLaLlon.

1he anomalles ln Lhe redlsLrlbuLlon of Lhe frlar lands could be aLLrlbuLed Lo Lhe offlclals of Lhe lnsular governmenL,
as mosL of Lhe beneflclarles of Lhese anomalles were ldenLlfled wlLh Lhem. lnsLead of glvlng Lhe frlar lands Lo Lhe
lnLended reclplenLs, Lhe offlclals awarded Lhe frlar lands Lo Lhemselves, Lhelr assoclaLes, and Lhelr relaLlves. x x x
(pp. 141-142).

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x x x x

1he !ones Law of 1916 sLrlpped Lhe Amerlcans of powers over Lhe admlnlsLraLlon of Lhe frlar lands, and all unsold
frlar lands were placed under Lhe conLrol of Lhe hlllpplne leglslaLure. x x x lrom Lhen on, Lhe faLe of Lhe frlar lands
was ln Lhe hands of llllplno pollLlclans and bureaucraLs. (p. 134).

[30] C.8. no. 148208, uecember 13, 2004, 446 SC8A 299.

[31] ld. aL 367.

[32] larlnas v. 1he LxecuLlve SecreLary,C.8. nos. 147387 & 132161, uecember 10, 2003, 417 SC8A 303, 323-326,
clLlng lchong, eLc., eL al. v. Pernandez, eLc., and SarmlenLo,101 hll. 1133, 1164 (1937) and 2 Cooley, ConsLlLuLlonal
LlmlLaLlons, pp. 824-823.