452 Phil. 881
PANGANIBAN, J.:
"IN THE LIGHT OF THE FOREGOING, the appeal is GRANTED. The Decision appealed from is REVERSED. [Petitioner] is hereby condemned to pay to [respondent] the total amount of P148,500.00, with interest thereon, at the rate of 6% per annum, from date of this Decision of the Court. [Respondent's] claim for attorney's fees [is] DISMISSED. [Petitioner's] counterclaims are DISMISSED."[5]The assailed Resolution denied petitioner's Motion for Reconsideration.
"WHEREFORE, premises considered, the case is hereby DISMISSED for lack of merit.
"No cost."[8]
"Sometime on December 11, 1991, Nestor Angelia delivered to the Edgar Cokaliong Shipping Lines, Inc. (now Cokaliong Shipping Lines), [petitioner] for brevity, cargo consisting of one (1) carton of Christmas décor and two (2) sacks of plastic toys, to be transported on board the M/V Tandag on its Voyage No. T-189 scheduled to depart from Cebu City, on December 12, 1991, for Tandag, Surigao del Sur. [Petitioner] issued Bill of Lading No. 58, freight prepaid, covering the cargo. Nestor Angelia was both the shipper and consignee of the cargo valued, on the face thereof, in the amount of P6,500.00. Zosimo Mercado likewise delivered cargo to [petitioner], consisting of two (2) cartons of plastic toys and Christmas decor, one (1) roll of floor mat and one (1) bundle of various or assorted goods for transportation thereof from Cebu City to Tandag, Surigao del Sur, on board the said vessel, and said voyage. [Petitioner] issued Bill of Lading No. 59 covering the cargo which, on the face thereof, was valued in the amount of P14,000.00. Under the Bill of Lading, Zosimo Mercado was both the shipper and consignee of the cargo.
"On December 12, 1991, Feliciana Legaspi insured the cargo, covered by Bill of Lading No. 59, with the UCPB General Insurance Co., Inc., [respondent] for brevity, for the amount of P100,000.00 `against all risks' under Open Policy No. 002/91/254 for which she was issued, by [respondent], Marine Risk Note No. 18409 on said date. She also insured the cargo covered by Bill of Lading No. 58, with [respondent], for the amount of P50,000.00, under Open Policy No. 002/91/254 on the basis of which [respondent] issued Marine Risk Note No. 18410 on said date.
"When the vessel left port, it had thirty-four (34) passengers and assorted cargo on board, including the goods of Legaspi. After the vessel had passed by the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge, fire ensued in the engine room, and, despite earnest efforts of the officers and crew of the vessel, the fire engulfed and destroyed the entire vessel resulting in the loss of the vessel and the cargoes therein. The Captain filed the required Marine Protest.
"Shortly thereafter, Feliciana Legaspi filed a claim, with [respondent], for the value of the cargo insured under Marine Risk Note No. 18409 and covered by Bill of Lading No. 59. She submitted, in support of her claim, a Receipt, dated December 11, 1991, purportedly signed by Zosimo Mercado, and Order Slips purportedly signed by him for the goods he received from Feliciana Legaspi valued in the amount of P110,056.00. [Respondent] approved the claim of Feliciana Legaspi and drew and issued UCPB Check No. 612939, dated March 9, 1992, in the net amount of P99,000.00, in settlement of her claim after which she executed a Subrogation Receipt/Deed, for said amount, in favor of [respondent]. She also filed a claim for the value of the cargo covered by Bill of Lading No. 58. She submitted to [respondent] a Receipt, dated December 11, 1991 and Order Slips, purportedly signed by Nestor Angelia for the goods he received from Feliciana Legaspi valued at P60,338.00. [Respondent] approved her claim and remitted to Feliciana Legaspi the net amount of P49,500.00, after which she signed a Subrogation Receipt/Deed, dated March 9, 1992, in favor of [respondent].
"On July 14, 1992, [respondent], as subrogee of Feliciana Legaspi, filed a complaint anchored on torts against [petitioner], with the Regional Trial Court of Makati City, for the collection of the total principal amount of P148,500.00, which it paid to Feliciana Legaspi for the loss of the cargo, praying that judgment be rendered in its favor and against the [petitioner] as follows:`WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed of this Honorable Court that after due hearing, judgment be rendered ordering [petitioner] to pay [respondent] the following."[Respondent] alleged, inter alia, in its complaint, that the cargo subject of its complaint was delivered to, and received by, [petitioner] for transportation to Tandag, Surigao del Sur under `Bill of Ladings,' Annexes `A' and `B' of the complaint; that the loss of the cargo was due to the negligence of the [petitioner]; and that Feliciana Legaspi had executed Subrogation Receipts/Deeds in favor of [respondent] after paying to her the value of the cargo on account of the Marine Risk Notes it issued in her favor covering the cargo.`[Respondent] further prays for such other reliefs and remedies as this Honorable Court may deem just and equitable under the premises.'
- Actual damages in the amount of P148,500.00 plus interest thereon at the legal rate from the time of filing of this complaint until fully paid;
- Attorney's fees in the amount of P10,000.00; and
- Cost of suit.
"In its Answer to the complaint, [petitioner] alleged that: (a) [petitioner] was cleared by the Board of Marine Inquiry of any negligence in the burning of the vessel; (b) the complaint stated no cause of action against [petitioner]; and (c) the shippers/consignee had already been paid the value of the goods as stated in the Bill of Lading and, hence, [petitioner] cannot be held liable for the loss of the cargo beyond the value thereof declared in the Bill of Lading.
"After [respondent] rested its case, [petitioner] prayed for and was allowed, by the Court a quo, to take the depositions of Chester Cokaliong, the Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of [petitioner], and a resident of Cebu City, and of Noel Tanyu, an officer of the Equitable Banking Corporation, in Cebu City, and a resident of Cebu City, to be given before the Presiding Judge of Branch 106 of the Regional Trial Court of Cebu City. Chester Cokaliong and Noel Tanyu did testify, by way of deposition, before the Court and declared inter alia, that: [petitioner] is a family corporation like the Chester Marketing, Inc.; Nestor Angelia had been doing business with [petitioner] and Chester Marketing, Inc., for years, and incurred an account with Chester Marketing, Inc. for his purchases from said corporation; [petitioner] did issue Bills of Lading Nos. 58 and 59 for the cargo described therein with Zosimo Mercado and Nestor Angelia as shippers/consignees, respectively; the engine room of the M/V Tandag caught fire after it passed the Mandaue/Mactan Bridge resulting in the total loss of the vessel and its cargo; an investigation was conducted by the Board of Marine Inquiry of the Philippine Coast Guard which rendered a Report, dated February 13, 1992 absolving [petitioner] of any responsibility on account of the fire, which Report of the Board was approved by the District Commander of the Philippine Coast Guard; a few days after the sinking of the vessel, a representative of the Legaspi Marketing filed claims for the values of the goods under Bills of Lading Nos. 58 and 59 in behalf of the shippers/consignees, Nestor Angelia and Zosimo Mercado; [petitioner] was able to ascertain, from the shippers/consignees and the representative of the Legaspi Marketing that the cargo covered by Bill of Lading No. 59 was owned by Legaspi Marketing and consigned to Zosimo Mercado while that covered by Bill of Lading No. 58 was purchased by Nestor Angelia from the Legaspi Marketing; that [petitioner] approved the claim of Legaspi Marketing for the value of the cargo under Bill of Lading No. 59 and remitted to Legaspi Marketing the said amount under Equitable Banking Corporation Check No. 20230486 dated August 12, 1992, in the amount of P14,000.00 for which the representative of the Legaspi Marketing signed Voucher No. 4379, dated August 12, 1992, for the said amount of P14,000.00 in full payment of claims under Bill of Lading No. 59; that [petitioner] approved the claim of Nestor Angelia in the amount of P6,500.00 but that since the latter owed Chester Marketing, Inc., for some purchases, [petitioner] merely set off the amount due to Nestor Angelia under Bill of Lading No. 58 against his account with Chester Marketing, Inc.; [petitioner] lost/[misplaced] the original of the check after it was received by Legaspi Marketing, hence, the production of the microfilm copy by Noel Tanyu of the Equitable Banking Corporation; [petitioner] never knew, before settling with Legaspi Marketing and Nestor Angelia that the cargo under both Bills of Lading were insured with [respondent], or that Feliciana Legaspi filed claims for the value of the cargo with [respondent] and that the latter approved the claims of Feliciana Legaspi and paid the total amount of P148,500.00 to her; [petitioner] came to know, for the first time, of the payments by [respondent] of the claims of Feliciana Legaspi when it was served with the summons and complaint, on October 8, 1992; after settling his claim, Nestor Angelia x x x executed the Release and Quitclaim, dated July 2, 1993, and Affidavit, dated July 2, 1993 in favor of [respondent]; hence, [petitioner] was absolved of any liability for the loss of the cargo covered by Bills of Lading Nos. 58 and 59; and even if it was, its liability should not exceed the value of the cargo as stated in the Bills of Lading.
"[Petitioner] did not anymore present any other witnesses on its evidence-in-chief. x x x"[9] (Citations omitted)
In sum, the issues are: (1) Is petitioner liable for the loss of the goods? (2) If it is liable, what is the extent of its liability?"I
"The Honorable Court of Appeals erred, granting arguendo that petitioner is liable, in holding that petitioner's liability should be based on the `actual insured value' of the goods and not from actual valuation declared by the shipper/consignee in the bill of lading."II
"The Court of Appeals erred in not affirming the findings of the Philippine Coast Guard, as sustained by the trial court a quo, holding that the cause of loss of the aforesaid cargoes under Bill of Lading Nos. 58 and 59 was due to force majeure and due diligence was [exercised] by petitioner prior to, during and immediately after the fire on [petitioner's] vessel."III
"The Court of Appeals erred in not holding that respondent UCPB General Insurance has no cause of action against the petitioner."[13]
"x x x. This must be so as it arises almost invariably from some act of man or by human means. It does not fall within the category of an act of God unless caused by lighting or by other natural disaster or calamity. It may even be caused by the actual fault or privity of the carrier.Where loss of cargo results from the failure of the officers of a vessel to inspect their ship frequently so as to discover the existence of cracked parts, that loss cannot be attributed to force majeure, but to the negligence of those officials.[16]
"Article 1680 of the Civil Code, which considers fire as an extraordinary fortuitous event refers to leases or rural lands where a reduction of the rent is allowed when more than one-half of the fruits have been lost due to such event, considering that the law adopts a protective policy towards agriculture.
"As the peril of fire is not comprehended within the exceptions in Article 1734, supra, Article 1735 of the Civil Code provides that in all cases other than those mentioned in Article 1734, the common carrier shall be presumed to have been at fault or to have acted negligently, unless it proves that it has observed the extraordinary diligence required by law."
"A stipulation in the bill of lading limiting the common carrier's liability for loss or destruction of a cargo to a certain sum, unless the shipper or owner declares a greater value, is sanctioned by law, particularly Articles 1749 and 1750 of the Civil Code which provides:"Such limited-liability clause has also been consistently upheld by this Court in a number of cases. Thus, in Sea-Land Service, Inc. vs. Intermediate Appellate Court, we ruled:
`Art. 1749. A stipulation that the common carrier's liability is limited to the value of the goods appearing in the bill of lading, unless the shipper or owner declares a greater value, is binding.'
`Art. 1750. A contract fixing the sum that may be recovered by the owner or shipper for the loss, destruction, or deterioration of the goods is valid, if it is reasonable and just under the circumstances, and has been freely and fairly agreed upon.'
`It seems clear that even if said section 4 (5) of the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act did not exist, the validity and binding effect of the liability limitation clause in the bill of lading here are nevertheless fully sustainable on the basis alone of the cited Civil Code Provisions. That said stipulation is just and reasonable is arguable from the fact that it echoes Art. 1750 itself in providing a limit to liability only if a greater value is not declared for the shipment in the bill of lading. To hold otherwise would amount to questioning the justness and fairness of the law itself, and this the private respondent does not pretend to do. But over and above that consideration, the just and reasonable character of such stipulation is implicit in it giving the shipper or owner the option of avoiding accrual of liability limitation by the simple and surely far from onerous expedient of declaring the nature and value of the shipment in the bill of lading.'"Pursuant to the afore-quoted provisions of law, it is required that the stipulation limiting the common carrier's liability for loss must be `reasonable and just under the circumstances, and has been freely and fairly agreed upon.
'18. All claims for which the carrier may be liable shall be adjusted and settled on the basis of the shipper's net invoice cost plus freight and insurance premiums, if paid, and in no event shall the carrier be liable for any loss of possible profits or any consequential loss."The above stipulations are, to our mind, reasonable and just. In the bill of lading, the carrier made it clear that its liability would only be up to One Hundred Thousand (Y100,000.00) Yen. However, the shipper, Maruman Trading, had the option to declare a higher valuation if the value of its cargo was higher than the limited liability of the carrier. Considering that the shipper did not declare a higher valuation, it had itself to blame for not complying with the stipulations." (Italics supplied)
`The carrier shall not be liable for any loss of or any damage to or in any connection with, goods in an amount exceeding One Hundred Thousand Yen in Japanese Currency (¥100,000.00) or its equivalent in any other currency per package or customary freight unit (whichever is least) unless the value of the goods higher than this amount is declared in writing by the shipper before receipt of the goods by the carrier and inserted in the Bill of Lading and extra freight is paid as required.'