447 Phil. 531
PANGANIBAN, J.:
“WHEREFORE, the petition is granted and the assailed November 4, 1998 and October 22, 1999 orders annulled and set aside. The July 30, 1998 order of respondent judge is reinstated granting the cancellation of the notices of lis pendens subject of this petition.”[3]In its July 21, 2001 Resolution,[4] the CA denied petitioner’s Motion for Reconsideration.
“On June 20, 1996, [respondent] and [petitioner] entered into a Construction Contract whereby the former agreed to construct four (4) units of [townhouses] designated as 16-A, 16-B, 17-A and 17-B and one (1) single detached unit for an original contract price of P15,726,745.19 which was late[r] adjusted to P16,726,745.19 as a result of additional works. The contract period is 180 days commencing [on] July 7, 1996 and to terminate on January 7, 1997. [Petitioner] claimed that the said period was not followed due to reasons attributable to [respondent], namely: suspension orders, additional works, force majeure, and unjustifiable acts of omission or delay on the part of said [respondent]. [Respondent], however, denied such claim and instead pointed to [petitioner] as having exceeded the 180 day contract period aggravated by defective workmanship and utilization of materials which are not in compliance with specifications.Thereafter, Respondent Herbal Cove filed with the CA a Petition for Certiorari.x x x x x x x x x
“On November 21, 1997, [petitioner] filed a complaint for sum of money with damages (Civil Case No. 97-2707) with the Regional Trial Court of Makati entitled ‘Atlantic Erectors, Incorporated vs. Herbal Cove Realty Corp. and Ernest C. Escal[e]r’. This case was raffled to Branch 137, x x x Judge Santiago J. Ranada presiding. In said initiatory pleading, [petitioner] AEI asked for the following reliefs:‘AFTER DUE NOTICE AND HEARING, to order x x x defendant to:“On the same day of November 21, 1997, [petitioner] filed a notice of lis pendens for annotation of the pendency of Civil Case No. 97-707 on titles TCTs nos. T-30228, 30229, 30230, 30231 and 30232. When the lots covered by said titles were subsequently subdivided into 50 lots, the notices of lis pendens were carried over to the titles of the subdivided lots, i.e., Transfer Certificate of Title Nos. T-36179 to T-36226 and T-36245 to T-36246 of the Register of Deeds of Tagaytay City.
- Pay plaintiff the sum of P4,854,229.94 for the unpaid construction services already rendered;
- To x x x pay plaintiff the sum of P1,595,551.00 for the construction materials, equipment and tools of plaintiff held by defendant;
- To x x x pay plaintiff the sum of P2,250,000.00 for the [loss] x x x of expected income from the construction project;
- [T]o x x x pay plaintiff the sum of P800,000.00 for the cost of income by way of rental from the equipment of plaintiff held by defendants;
- To x x x pay plaintiff the sum of P5,000,000.00 for moral damages;
- To x x x pay plaintiff the sum of P5,000,000.00 for exemplary damages;
- To x x x pay plaintiff the sum equivalent of 25% of the total money claim plus P200,000.00 acceptance fee and P2,500.00 per court appearance;
- To x x x pay the cost of suit.’
“On January 30, 1998, [respondent] and x x x Ernest L. Escaler, filed a Motion to Dismiss [petitioner’s] Complaint for lack of jurisdiction and for failure to state a cause of action. They claimed [that] the Makati RTC has no jurisdiction over the subject matter of the case because the parties’ Construction Contract contained a clause requiring them to submit their dispute to arbitration.x x x x x x x x x
“On March 17, 1998, [RTC Judge Ranada] dismissed the Complaint as against [respondent] for [petitioner’s] failure to comply with a condition precedent to the filing of a court action which is the prior resort to arbitration and as against x x x Escaler for failure of the Complaint to state a cause of action x x x.
“[Petitioner] filed a Motion for Reconsideration of the March 17, 1998 dismissal order. [Respondent] filed its Opposition thereto.
“On April 24, 1998, [respondent] filed a Motion to Cancel Notice of Lis Pendens. It argued that the notices of lis pendens are without basis because [petitioner’s] action is a purely personal action to collect a sum of money and recover damages and x x x does not directly affect title to, use or possession of real property.
“In his July 30, 1998 Order, [Judge Ranada] granted [respondent’s] Motion to Cancel Notice of Lis Pendens x x x:
“[Petitioner] filed a Motion for Reconsideration of the aforesaid July 30, 1998 Order to which [respondent] filed an Opposition.
“In a November 4, 1998 Order, [Judge Ranada,] while finding no merit in the grounds raised by [petitioner] in its Motion for Reconsideration, reversed his July 30, 1998 Order and reinstated the notices of lis pendens, as follows:‘1. The Court finds no merit in plaintiff’s contention that in dismissing the above-entitled case for lack of jurisdiction, and at the same time granting defendant Herbal Cove’s motion to cancel notice of lis pendens, the Court [took] an inconsistent posture. The Rules provide that prior to the transmittal of the original record on appeal, the court may issue orders for the protection and preservation of the rights of the parties which do not involve any matter litigated by the appeal (3rd par., Sec. 10, Rule 41). Even as it declared itself without jurisdiction, this Court still has power to act on incidents in this case, such as acting on motions for reconsideration, for correction, for lifting of lis pendens, or approving appeals, etc.“On November 27, 1998, [respondent] filed a Motion for Reconsideration of the November 4, 1998 Order arguing that allowing the notice of lis pendens to remain annotated on the titles would defeat, not serve, the ends of justice and that equitable considerations cannot be resorted to when there is an applicable provision of law.
‘As correctly argued by defendant Herbal Cove, a notice of lis pendens serves only as a precautionary measure or warning to prospective buyers of a property that there is a pending litigation involving the same.
‘The Court notes that when it issued the Order of 30 July 1998 lifting the notice of lis pendens, there was as yet no appeal filed by plaintiff. Subsequently, on 10 September 1998, after a notice of appeal was filed by plaintiff on 4 September 1998, the Branch Clerk of Court was ordered by the Court to elevate the entire records of the above-entitled case to the Court of Appeals. It therefore results that the above-entitled case is still pending. After a careful consideration of all matters relevant to the lis pendens, the Court believes that justice will be better served by setting aside the Order of 30 July 1998.’x x x x x x x x x
“On October 22, 1999, [Judge Ranada] issued an order denying [respondent’s] Motion for Reconsideration of the November 4, 1998 Order for lack of sufficient merit.”[5]
“I. Whether or not money claims representing cost of materials [for] and labor [on] the houses constructed on a property [are] a proper lien for annotation of lis pendens on the property title[.]
“II. Whether or not the trial court[,] after having declared itself without jurisdiction to try the case[,] may still decide on [the] substantial issue of the case.”[8]
“Art. 2242. With reference to specific immovable property and real rights of the debtor, the following claims, mortgages and liens shall be preferred, and shall constitute an encumbrance on the immovable or real right:However, a careful examination of petitioner’s Complaint, as well as the reliefs it seeks, reveals that no such lien or interest over the property was ever alleged. The Complaint merely asked for the payment of construction services and materials plus damages, without mentioning -- much less asserting -- a lien or an encumbrance over the property. Verily, it was a purely personal action and a simple collection case. It did not contain any material averment of any enforceable right, interest or lien in connection with the subject property.x x x x x x x x x
“(3) Claims of laborers, masons, mechanics and other workmen, as well as of architects, engineers and contractors, engaged in the construction, reconstruction or repair of buildings, canals or other works, upon said buildings, canals or other works;
“(4) Claims of furnishers of materials used in the construction, reconstruction, or repair of buildings, canals or other works, upon said buildings, canals or other works[.]” (Emphasis supplied)
“Articles 2241 and 2242 of the Civil Code enumerates certain credits which enjoy preference with respect to specific personal or real property of the debtor. Specifically, the contractor’s lien claimed by the petitioners is granted under the third paragraph of Article 2242 which provides that the claims of contractors engaged in the construction, reconstruction or repair of buildings or other works shall be preferred with respect to the specific building or other immovable property constructed.Clearly then, neither Article 2242 of the Civil Code nor the enforcement of the lien thereunder is applicable here, because petitioner’s Complaint failed to satisfy the foregoing requirements. Nowhere does it show that respondent’s property was subject to the claims of other creditors or was insufficient to pay for all concurring debts. Moreover, the Complaint did not pertain to insolvency proceedings or to any other action in which the adjudication of claims of preferred creditors could be ascertained.
“However, Article 2242 finds application when there is a concurrence of credits, i.e., when the same specific property of the debtor is subjected to the claims of several creditors and the value of such property of the debtor is insufficient to pay in full all the creditors. In such a situation, the question of preference will arise, that is, there will be a need to determine which of the creditors will be paid ahead of the others. Fundamental tenets of due process will dictate that this statutory lien should then only be enforced in the context of some kind of a proceeding where the claims of all the preferred creditors may be bindingly adjudicated, such as insolvency proceedings.”[14] (Emphasis supplied)
“By express provision of law, the doctrine of lis pendens does not apply to attachments, levies of execution, or to proceedings for the probate of wills, or for administration of the estate of deceased persons in the Court of First Instance. Also, it is held generally that the doctrine of lis pendens has no application to a proceeding in which the only object sought is the recovery of a money judgment, though the title or right of possession to property be incidentally affected. It is essential that the property be directly affected, as where the relief sought in the action or suit includes the recovery of possession, or the enforcement of a lien, or an adjudication between conflicting claims of title, possession, or the right of possession to specific property, or requiring its transfer or sale”[17] (Emphasis supplied)Peña adds that even if a party initially avails itself of a notice of lis pendens upon the filing of a case in court, such notice is rendered nugatory if the case turns out to be a purely personal action. We quote him as follows:
“It may be possible also that the case when commenced may justify a resort to lis pendens, but during the progress thereof, it develops to be purely a personal action for damages or otherwise. In such event, the notice of lis pendens has become functus officio.”[18] (Emphasis supplied)Thus, when a complaint or an action is determined by the courts to be in personam, the rationale for or purpose of the notice of lis pendens ceases to exist. To be sure, this Court has expressly and categorically declared that the annotation of a notice of lis pendens on titles to properties is not proper in cases wherein the proceedings instituted are actions in personam.[19]
“SEC. 9. Perfection of appeal; effect thereof. -- A party’s appeal by notice of appeal is deemed perfected as to him upon the filing of the notice of appeal in due time.On the basis of the foregoing rule, the trial court lost jurisdiction over the case only on August 31, 1998, when petitioner filed its Notice of Appeal.[20] Thus, any order issued by the RTC prior to that date should be considered valid, because the court still had jurisdiction over the case. Accordingly, it still had the authority or jurisdiction to issue the July 30, 1998 Order canceling the Notice of Lis Pendens. On the other hand, the November 4, 1998 Order that set aside the July 30, 1998 Order and reinstated that Notice should be considered without force and effect, because it was issued by the trial court after it had already lost jurisdiction.x x x x x x x x x
“In appeals by notice of appeal, the court loses jurisdiction over the case upon the perfection of the appeals filed in due time and the expiration of the time to appeal of the other parties.” (Emphasis supplied)
“Section 1. Venue of real actions. – Actions affecting title to or possession of real property, or any interest therein, shall be commenced and tried in the proper court, which has jurisdiction over the area, wherein the real property involved or a portion thereof, is situated.[17] 1988, p. 390.
“Forcible entry and detainer actions shall be commenced and tried in the municipal trial court of the municipality or city wherein the real property involved, or a portion thereof, is situated.
“Section 2. Venue of personal actions. – All other actions may be commenced and tried where the plaintiff or any of the principal plaintiffs resides, or where the defendant or any of the principal defendants resides, or in the case of a non-resident defendant where he may be found at the election of the plaintiff.”