755 PHIL. 656
VILLARAMA, JR., J.:
WHEREFORE, in view of the foregoing, the Court hereby grants the instant petition for legal separation between the subject spouses with all its legal effects as provided for in Art. 63 of the Family Code. Their community property is consequently dissolved and must be liquidated in accordance with Art. 102 of the New Family Code. The respondent is thus hereby enjoined from selling, encumbering or in any way disposing or alienating any of their community property including the subject house and lot before the required liquidation. Moreover, he, being the guilty spouse, must forfeit the net profits of the community property in favor of the petitioner who is the innocent spouse pursuant to Art. 43 of the aforesaid law. Finally, in the light of the claim of ownership by the present occupants who have not been impleaded in the instant case, a separate action must be instituted by the petitioner against the alleged buyer or buyers thereof to determine their respective rights thereon.Rogelio appealed the above-quoted ruling before the CA which denied due course and dismissed the petition. It became final and executory and a writ of execution was issued in August 1995.[14]
Let a copy of this decision be furnished the Local Civil Registrar of Manila, the Register of Deeds of Marikina, Metro Manila and the National Statistics Office (NSO), sta. Mesa, Manila.
SO ORDERED.[13]
WHEREFORE, foregoing premises considered, judgment is hereby rendered in favor of plaintiff Shirley Nuega and against defendant Josefina Nobleza, as follows:Petitioner sought recourse with the CA, while Rogelio did not appeal the ruling of the trial court. In its assailed Decision promulgated on May 14, 2010, the appellate court affirmed with modification the trial court's ruling, viz.:
1) the Deed of Absolute Sale dated December 29, 1992 insofar as the 55.05 square meters representing the one half (1/2) portion of plaintiff Shirley Nuega is concerned, is hereby ordered rescinded, the same being null and void; 2) defendant Josefina Nobleza is ordered to reconvey said 55.05 square meters to plaintiff Shirley Nuega, or in the alternative to pay plaintiff Shirley Nuega the present market value of said 55.05 square meters; and 3) to pay plaintiff Shirley Nuega attorney's fees in the sum of Twenty Thousand Pesos (P20,000.00).
For lack of merit, defendant's counterclaim is hereby DENIED.
SO ORDERED.[16]
WHEREFORE, subject to the foregoing disquisition, the appeal is DENIED. The Decision dated 14 February 2001 of the Regional Trial Court of Marikina City, Branch 273 in Civil Case No. 96-274-MK is AFFIRMED with MODIFICATION in that the Deed of Absolute Sale dated 29 December 1992 is hereby declared null and void in its entirety, and defendant-appellant Josefina V. Nobleza is ordered to reconvey the entire subject property to plaintiff-appellee Shirley B. Nuega and defendant Rogelio Nuega, without prejudice to said defendant-appellant's right to recover from defendant Rogelio whatever amount she paid for the subject property. Costs against defendant-appellant Nobleza.Petitioner moved for reconsideration. In a Resolution dated July 21, 2010, the appellate court denied the motion for lack of merit. Hence, this petition raising the following assignment of errors:
SO ORDERED.[17]
We deny the petition.
[I.] THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS ERRED WHEN IT AFFIRMED THE DECISION OF THE REGIONAL TRIAL COURT BY SUSTAINING THE FINDING THAT PETITIONER WAS NOT A PURCHASER IN GOOD FAITH. [II.] THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS ERRED WHEN IT MODIFIED THE DECISION OF THE REGIONAL TRIAL COURT BY DECLARING AS NULL AND VOID THE DEED OF ABSOLUTE SALE DATED 29 DECEMBER 1992 IN ITS ENTIRETY.[18]
In the present case, we are not convinced by the petitioners' incessant assertion that Jocelyn is an innocent purchaser for value. To begin with, she is a grandniece of Eulalia and resides in the same locality where the latter lives and conducts her principal business. It is therefore impossible for her not to acquire knowledge of her grand aunt's business practice of requiring her biyaheros to surrender the titles to their properties and to sign the corresponding deeds of sale over said properties in her favor, as security. This alone should have put Jocelyn on guard for any possible abuses that Eulalia may commit with the titles and the deeds of sale in her possession.[26]Similarly, in the case of Arrofo v. QuiƱo,[27] the Court held that while "the law does not require a person dealing with registered land to inquire further than what the Torrens Title on its face indicates," the rule is not absolute.[28] Thus, finding that the buyer therein failed to take the necessary precaution required of a prudent man, the Court held that Arrofo was not an innocent purchaser for value, viz.:
In the present case, the records show that Arrofo failed to act as a prudent buyer. True, she asked her daughter to verify from the Register of Deeds if the title to the Property is free from encumbrances. However, Arrofo admitted that the Property is within the neighborhood and that she conducted an ocular inspection of the Property. She saw the house constructed on the Property. Yet, Arrofo did not even bother to inquire about the occupants of the house. Arrofo also admitted that at the time of the sale, Myrna was occupying a room in her house as her lessee. The fact that Myrna was renting a room from Arrofo yet selling a land with a house should have put Arrofo on her guard. She knew that Myrna was not occupying the house. Hence, someone else must have been occupying the house.An analogous situation obtains in the case at bar.
Thus, Arrofo should have inquired who occupied the house, and if a lessee, who received the rentals from such lessee. Such inquiry would have led Arrofo to discover that the lessee was paying rentals to Quino, not to Renato and Myrna, who claimed to own the Property.[29]
ROGELIO A. NUEGA, of legal age, Filipino citizen and with postal address at 2-A-2 Ladislao Diwa St., Concepcion, Marikina, Metro Manila, hereinafter referred to as the VENDORIt puzzles the Court that while petitioner has repeatedly claimed that Rogelio is "single" under TCT No. 171963 and Tax Declaration Nos. D-012-04723 and D-012-04724, his civil status as seller was not stated in the Deed of Absolute Sale - further creating a cloud on the claim of petitioner that she is an innocent purchaser for value.And
JOSEFINA V. NOBLEZA, of legal age, Filipino citizen, single and with postal address at No. L-2-A-3 Ladislao Diwa St., Concepcion, Marikina, Metro Manila, hereinafter referred to as the VENDEE.[32]
xxx Clearly, the house and lot jointly acquired by the parties prior to their marriage forms part of their community property regime, xxxHowever, the nullity of the sale made by Rogelio is not premised on proof of respondent's financial contribution in the purchase of the subject property. Actual contribution is not relevant in determining whether a piece of property is community property for the law itself defines what constitutes community property.
From the foregoing, Shirley sufficiently proved her financial contribution for the purchase of the house and lot covered by TCT 171963. Thus, the present lot which forms part of their community property should be divided equally between them upon the grant of the instant petition for legal separation. Having established by preponderance of evidence the fact of her husband's guilt in contracting a subsequent marriage xxx, Shirley alone should be entitled to the net profits earned by the absolute community property.[33]
Art. 91. Unless otherwise provided in this Chapter or in the marriage settlements, the community property shall consist of all the property owned by the spouses at the time of the celebration of the marriage or acquired thereafter.The only exceptions from the above rule are: (1) those excluded from the absolute community by the Family Code; and (2) those excluded by the marriage settlement.
Art. 92. The following shall be excluded from the community property:As held in Quiao v. Quiao:[34]
(1) Property acquired during the marriage by gratuitous title by either spouse, and the fruits as well as the income thereof, if any, unless it is expressly provided by the donor, testator or grantor that they shall form part of the community property;
(2) Property for personal and exclusive use of either spouse; however, jewelry shall form part of the community property;
(3) Property acquired before the marriage by either spouse who has legitimate descendants by a former marriage, and the fruits as well as the income, if any, of such property.
When a couple enters into a regime of absolute community, the husband and the wife becomes joint owners of all the properties of the marriage. Whatever property each spouse brings into the marriage, and those acquired during the marriage (except those excluded under Article 92 of the Family Code) form the common mass of the couple's properties. And when the couple's marriage or community is dissolved, that common mass is divided between the spouses, or their respective heirs, equally or in the proportion the parties have established, irrespective of the value each one may have originally owned.Since the subject property does not fall under any of the exclusions provided in Article 92, it therefore forms part of the absolute community property of Shirley and Rogelio. Regardless of their respective contribution to its acquisition before their marriage, and despite the fact that only Rogelio's name appears in the TCT as owner, the property is owned jointly by the spouses Shirley and Rogelio.
Art. 96. The administration and enjoyment of the community property shall belong to both spouses jointly. In case of disagreement, the husband's decision shall prevail, subject to recourse to the court by the wife for a proper remedy, which must be availed of within five years from the date of the contract implementing such decision.It is clear under the foregoing provision of the Family Code that Rogelio could not sell the subject property without the written consent of respondent or the authority of the court. Without such consent or authority, the entire sale is void. As correctly explained by the appellate court:
In the event that one spouse is incapacitated or otherwise unable to participate in the administration of the common properties, the other spouse may assume sole powers of administration. These powers do not include the powers of disposition or encumbrance without the authority of the court or the written consent of the other spouse. In the absence of such authority or consent, the disposition or encumbrance shall be void. However, the transaction shall be construed as a continuing offer on the part of the consenting spouse and the third person, and may be perfected as a binding contract upon the acceptance by the other spouse or authorization by the court before the offer is withdrawn by either or both offerors.[35]
In the instant case, defendant Rogelio sold the entire subject property to defendant-appellant Josefina on 29 December 1992 or during the existence of Rogelio's marriage to plaintiff-appellee Shirley, without the consent of the latter. The subject property forms part of Rogelio and Shirley's absolute community of property. Thus, the trial court erred in declaring the deed of sale null and void only insofar as the 55.05 square meters representing the one-half (1/2) portion of plaintiff-appellee Shirley. In absolute community of property, if the husband, without knowledge and consent of the wife, sells (their) property, such sale is void. The consent of both the husband Rogelio and the wife Shirley is required and the absence of the consent of one renders the entire sale null and void including the portion of the subject property pertaining to defendant Rogelio who contracted the sale with defendant-appellant Josefina. Since the Deed of Absolute Sale x x x entered into by and between defendant-appellant Josefina and defendant Rogelio dated 29 December 1992, during the subsisting marriage between plaintiff-appellee Shirley and Rogelio, was without the written consent of Shirley, the said Deed of Absolute Sale is void in its entirety. Hence, the trial court erred in declaring the said Deed of Absolute Sale as void only insofar as the 1/2 portion pertaining to the share of Shirley is concerned.[36]Finally, consistent with our ruling that Rogelio solely entered into the contract of sale with petitioner and acknowledged receiving the entire consideration of the contract under the Deed of Absolute Sale, Shirley could not be held accountable to petitioner for the reimbursement of her payment for the purchase of the subject property. Under Article 94 of the Family Code, the absolute community of property shall only be "liable for x x x [d]ebts and obligations contracted by either spouse without the consent of the other to the extent that the family may have been benefited x x x." As correctly stated by the appellate court, there being no evidence on record that the amount received by Rogelio redounded to the benefit of the family, respondent cannot be made to reimburse any amount to petitioner.[37]