David vs. Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

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SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED VOLUME 676 2/21/18, 1:43 AM

G.R. No. 194785. July 11, 2012.*

VIRGILIO S. DAVID, petitioner, vs. MISAMIS


OCCIDENTAL II ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC.,
respondent.

Civil Law; Contract of Sale; Elements of a Contract of Sale.―


The elements of a contract of sale are, to wit: a) Consent or meeting
of the minds, that is, consent to transfer ownership in exchange for
the price; b) Determinate subject matter; and c) Price certain in
money or its equivalent. It is the absence of the first element which
distinguishes a contract of sale from that of a contract to sell.
Same; Contract to Sell; In a contract to sell, the prospective
seller explicitly reserves the transfer of title to the prospective buyer,
meaning, the prospective seller does not as yet agree or consent to
transfer ownership of the property subject of the contract to sell until
the happening of an event, such as, in most cases, the full payment of
the purchase price.―In a contract to sell, the prospective seller
explicitly reserves the transfer of title to the prospective buyer,
meaning, the prospective seller does not as yet agree or consent to
transfer ownership of the property subject of the contract to sell
until the happening of an event, such as, in most cases, the full
payment of the purchase price. What the seller agrees or obliges
himself to do is to fulfill his promise to sell the subject property
when the entire amount of the purchase price is delivered to him. In
other words, the full payment of the purchase price partakes of a
suspensive condition, the non-fulfillment of which prevents the
obligation to sell from arising and, thus, ownership is retained by
the prospective seller without further remedies by the prospective
buyer.
Same; Contract of Sale; In a contract of sale, the title to the
property passes to the vendee upon the delivery of the thing sold; The
vendor loses ownership over the property and cannot recover it until
and unless the contract is resolved or rescinded.―In a contract of
sale, on the other hand, the title to the property passes to the
vendee upon the delivery of the thing sold. Unlike in a contract to
sell, the first element of consent is present, although it is

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conditioned upon

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* THIRD DIVISION.

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David vs. Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

the happening of a contingent event which may or may not occur. If


the suspensive condition is not fulfilled, the perfection of the
contract of sale is completely abated. However, if the suspensive
condition is fulfilled, the contract of sale is thereby perfected, such
that if there had already been previous delivery of the property
subject of the sale to the buyer, ownership thereto automatically
transfers to the buyer by operation of law without any further act
having to be performed by the seller. The vendor loses ownership
over the property and cannot recover it until and unless the
contract is resolved or rescinded.
Same; Same; If the buyer is to pay the freight, it is reasonable to
suppose that the subject of the sale is transferred to the buyer at the
point of shipment. In other words, the title to the goods transfers to
the buyer upon shipment or delivery to the carrier.―In the case of
Behn, Meyer & Co. (Ltd.) v. Yangco, it was pointed out that a
specification in a contract relative to the payment of freight can be
taken to indicate the intention of the parties with regard to the
place of delivery. So that, if the buyer is to pay the freight, as in this
case, it is reasonable to suppose that the subject of the sale is
transferred to the buyer at the point of shipment. In other words,
the title to the goods transfers to the buyer upon shipment or
delivery to the carrier.

PETITION for review on certiorari of a decision of the


Court of Appeals.
The facts are stated in the opinion of the Court.
Duran, Narvaez & Associates for petitioner.
Jose Allan N. Maglasang for respondent.

MENDOZA, J.:
Before this Court is a petition for review under Rule 45
of the Rules of Court assailing the July 8, 2010 Decision1 of

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the

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1 Rollo, pp. 94-101. Penned by Associate Justice Apolinario D.
Bruselas, Jr. and concurred in by Associate Justice Mario L. Guariña III
and Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda.

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David vs. Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Court of Appeals (CA), in CA-G.R. CR No. 91839, which


affirmed the July 17, 2008 Decision2 of the Regional Trial
Court, Branch VIII, Manila (RTC) in Civil Case No.
9469402, an action for specific performance and damages.
The Facts
Petitioner Virgilio S. David (David) was the owner or
proprietor of VSD Electric Sales, a company engaged in the
business of supplying electrical hardware including
transformers for rural electric cooperatives like respondent
Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.
(MOELCI), with principal office located in Ozamis City.
To solve its problem of power shortage affecting some
areas within its coverage, MOELCI expressed its intention
to purchase a 10 MVA power transformer from David. For
this reason, its General Manager, Engr. Reynaldo Rada
(Engr. Rada), went to meet David in the latterÊs office in
Quezon City. David agreed to supply the power transformer
provided that MOELCI would secure a board resolution
because the item would still have to be imported.
On June 8, 1992, Engr. Rada and Director Jose Jimenez
(Jimenez), who was in-charge of procurement, returned to
Manila and presented to David the requested board
resolution which authorized the purchase of one 10 MVA
power transformer. In turn, David presented his proposal
for the acquisition of said transformer. This proposal was
the same proposal that he would usually give to his clients.
After the reading of the proposal and the discussion of
terms, David instructed his then secretary and bookkeeper,
Ellen M. Wong, to type the names of Engr. Rada and
Jimenez at the end of the proposal. Both signed the
document under the word „conforme.‰ The board resolution
was thereafter attached to the proposal.

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2 Id., at pp. 65-77. Penned by Judge Felixberto T. Olalia, Jr.

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David vs. Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

As stated in the proposal, the subject transformer,


together with the basic accessories, was valued at
P5,200,000.00. It was also stipulated therein that 50% of
the purchase price should be paid as downpayment and the
remaining balance to be paid upon delivery. Freight
handling, insurance, customs duties, and incidental
expenses were for the account of the buyer.
The Board Resolution, on the other hand, stated that the
purchase of the said transformer was to be financed
through a loan from the National Electrification
Administration (NEA). As there was no immediate action
on the loan application, Engr. Rada returned to Manila in
early December 1992 and requested David to deliver the
transformer to them even without the required
downpayment. David granted the request provided that
MOELCI would pay interest at 24% per annum. Engr.
Rada acquiesced to the condition. On December 17, 1992,
the goods were shipped to Ozamiz City via William Lines.
In the Bill of Lading, a sales invoice was included which
stated the agreed interest rate of 24% per annum.
When nothing was heard from MOELCI for sometime
after the shipment, Emanuel Medina (Medina), DavidÊs
Marketing Manager, went to Ozamiz City to check on the
shipment. Medina was able to confer with Engr. Rada who
told him that the loan was not yet released and asked if it
was possible to withdraw the shipped items. Medina
agreed.
When no payment was made after several months,
Medina was constrained to send a demand letter, dated
September 15, 1993, which MOELCI duly received. Engr.
Rada replied in writing that the goods were still in the
warehouse of William Lines again reiterating that the loan
had not been approved by NEA. This prompted Medina to
head back to Ozamiz City where he found out that the
goods had already been released to MOELCI evidenced by
the shipping companyÊs copy of the Bill of Lading which

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was stamped „Released,‰ and with the notation that the


arrastre charges in the amount of P5,095.60 had been paid.
This was supported by a receipt of payment

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David vs. Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

with the corresponding cargo delivery receipt issued by the


Integrated Port Services of Ozamiz, Inc.
Subsequently, demand letters were sent to MOELCI
demanding the payment of the whole amount plus the
balance of previous purchases of other electrical hardware.
Aside from the formal demand letters, David added that
several statements of accounts were regularly sent through
the mails by the company and these were never disputed
by MOELCI.
On February 17, 1994, David filed a complaint for
specific performance with damages with the RTC. In
response, MOECLI moved for its dismissal on the ground
that there was lack of cause of action as there was no
contract of sale, to begin with, or in the alternative, the
said contract was unenforceable under the Statute of
Frauds. MOELCI argued that the quotation letter could
not be considered a binding contract because there was
nothing in the said document from which consent, on its
part, to the terms and conditions proposed by David could
be inferred. David knew that MOELCIÊs assent could only
be obtained upon the issuance of a purchase order in favor
of the bidder chosen by the Canvass and Awards
Committee.
Eventually, pursuant to Rule 16, Section 5 of the Rules
of Court, MOELCI filed its Motion for Preliminary Hearing
of Affirmative Defenses and Deferment of the Pre-Trial
Conference which was denied by the RTC to abbreviate
proceedings and for the parties to proceed to trial and avoid
piecemeal resolution of issues. The order denying its
motion was raised with the CA, and then with this Court.
Both courts sustained the RTC ruling.
Trial ensued. By reason of MOELCIÊs continued failure
to appear despite notice, David was allowed to present his
testimonial and documentary evidence ex parte, pursuant
to Rule 18, Section 5 of the Rules. A Very Urgent Motion to

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Allow Defendant to Present Evidence was filed by


MOELCI, but was denied.

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David vs. Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

In its July 17, 2008 Decision, the RTC dismissed the


complaint. It found that although a contract of sale was
perfected, it was not consummated because David failed to
prove that there was indeed a delivery of the subject item
and that MOELCI received it.3
Aggrieved, David appealed his case to the CA.
On July 8, 2010, the CA affirmed the ruling of the RTC.
In the assailed decision, the CA reasoned out that although
David was correct in saying that MOELCI was deemed to
have admitted the genuineness and due execution of the
„quotation letter‰ (Exhibit A), wherein the signatures of the
Chairman and the General Manager of MOELCI appeared,
he failed to offer any textual support to his stand that it
was a contract of sale instead of a mere price quotation
agreed to by MOELCI representatives. On this score, the
RTC erred in stating that a contract of sale was perfected
between the parties despite the irregularities that tainted
their transaction. Further, the fact that MOELCIÊs
representatives agreed to the terms embodied in the
agreement would not preclude the finding that said
contract was at best a mere contract to sell.
A motion for reconsideration was filed by David but it
was denied.4
Hence, this petition.
Before this Court, David presents the following issues
for consideration:
I.
WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS A PERFECTED
CONTRACT OF SALE.
II.
WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS A DELIVERY
THAT CONSUMMATED THE CONTRACT.

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3 Id., at p. 74.
4 Id., at p. 125.

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David vs. Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

The Court finds merit in the petition.


I.
On the issue as to whether or not there was a perfected
contract of sale, this Court is required to delve into the
evidence of the case. In a petition for review on certiorari
under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court, the issues to be
threshed out are generally questions of law only, and not of
fact. This was reiterated in the case of Buenaventura v.
Pascual,5 where it was written:

„Time and again, this Court has stressed that its jurisdiction in a
petition for review on certiorari under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court
is limited to reviewing only errors of law, not of fact, unless the
findings of fact complained of are devoid of support by the evidence
on record, or the assailed judgment is based on the
misapprehension of facts. The trial court, having heard the
witnesses and observed their demeanor and manner of testifying, is
in a better position to decide the question of their credibility. Hence,
the findings of the trial court must be accorded the highest respect,
even finality, by this Court.‰

That being said, the Court is not unmindful, however, of


the recognized exceptions well-entrenched in
jurisprudence. It has always been stressed that when
supported by substantial evidence, the findings of fact of
the CA are conclusive and binding on the parties and are
not reviewable by this Court, unless the case falls under
any of the following recognized exceptions:

„(1) When the conclusion is a finding grounded entirely on


speculation, surmises and conjectures;
(2) When the inference made is manifestly mistaken, absurd or
impossible;
(3) Where there is a grave abuse of discretion;

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5 G.R. No. 168819, November 27, 2008, 572 SCRA 143, 157.

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David vs. Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

(4) When the judgment is based on a misapprehension of facts;


(5) When the findings of fact are conflicting;
(6) When the Court of Appeals, in making its findings, went
beyond the issues of the case and the same is contrary to the
admissions of both appellant and appellee;
(7) When the findings are contrary to those of the trial
court;
(8) When the findings of fact are without citation of specific
evidence on which the conclusions are based;
(9)  When the facts set forth in the petition as well as in the
petitionerÊs main and reply briefs are not disputed by the
respondents; and
(10) When the findings of fact of the Court of Appeals are
premised on the supposed absence of evidence and contradicted by
the evidence on record.‰6 [Emphasis supplied]

In this case, the CA and the RTC reached different


conclusions on the question of whether or not there was a
perfected contract of sale. The RTC ruled that a contract of
sale was perfected although the same was not
consummated because David failed to show proof of
delivery.7 The CA was of the opposite view. The CA wrote:

„Be that as it may, it must be emphasized that the appellant


failed to offer any textual support to his insistence that Exhibit „A‰
is a contract of sale instead of a mere price quotation conformed to
by MOELCI representatives. To that extent, the trial court erred in
laying down the premise that „indeed a contract of sale is perfected
between the parties despite the irregularities attending the
transaction.‰ x x x
That representatives of MOELCI conformed to the terms
embodied in the agreement does not preclude the finding that such

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6 Cirtek Employees Labor Union-Federation of Free Workers v. Cirtek
Electronics, Inc., G.R. No. 190515, June 06, 2011, 650 SCRA 656, 660.
7 Rollo, p. 74.

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contract is, at best, a mere contract to sell with stipulated costs


quoted should it ultimately ripen into one of sale. The conditions
upon which that development may occur may even be obvious from
statements in the agreement itself, that go beyond just „captions.‰
Thus, the appellant opens with, „WE are pleased to submit our
quotation xxx.‰ The purported contract also ends with. „Thank you
for giving us the opportunity to quote on your requirements and we
hope to receive your order soon‰ apparently referring to a purchase
order which MOELCI contends to be a formal requirement for the
entire transaction.‰8

In other words, the CA was of the position that Exhibit A


was at best a contract to sell.
A perusal of the records persuades the Court to hold
otherwise.
The elements of a contract of sale are, to wit: a) Consent
or meeting of the minds, that is, consent to transfer
ownership in exchange for the price; b) Determinate subject
matter; and c) Price certain in money or its equivalent.9 It
is the absence of the first element which distinguishes a
contract of sale from that of a contract to sell.
In a contract to sell, the prospective seller explicitly
reserves the transfer of title to the prospective buyer,
meaning, the prospective seller does not as yet agree or
consent to transfer ownership of the property subject of the
contract to sell until the happening of an event, such as, in
most cases, the full payment of the purchase price. What
the seller agrees or obliges himself to do is to fulfill his
promise to sell the subject property when the entire
amount of the purchase price is delivered to him. In other
words, the full payment of the purchase price partakes of a
suspensive condition, the non-fulfillment of which prevents
the obligation to sell from aris-

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8 Id., at pp. 98-99.
9 Reyes v. Turapan, G.R. No. 188064, June 01, 2011, 650 SCRA 283,
297, citing Nabus v. Joaquin & Pacson, G.R. No. 161318, November 25,
2009, 605 SCRA 334, 348-353.

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ing and, thus, ownership is retained by the prospective


seller without further remedies by the prospective buyer.10
In a contract of sale, on the other hand, the title to the
property passes to the vendee upon the delivery of the
thing sold. Unlike in a contract to sell, the first element of
consent is present, although it is conditioned upon the
happening of a contingent event which may or may not
occur. If the suspensive condition is not fulfilled, the
perfection of the contract of sale is completely abated.
However, if the suspensive condition is fulfilled, the
contract of sale is thereby perfected, such that if there had
already been previous delivery of the property subject of
the sale to the buyer, ownership thereto automatically
transfers to the buyer by operation of law without any
further act having to be performed by the seller. The
vendor loses ownership over the property and cannot
recover it until and unless the contract is resolved or
rescinded.11
An examination of the alleged contract to sell, „Exhibit
A,‰ despite its unconventional form, would show that said
document, with all the stipulations therein and with the
attendant circumstances surrounding it, was actually a
Contract of Sale. The rule is that it is not the title of the
contract, but its express terms or stipulations that
determine the kind of contract entered into by the
parties.12 First, there was meeting of minds as to the
transfer of ownership of the subject matter. The letter
(Exhibit A), though appearing to be a mere price
quotation/proposal, was not what it seemed. It contained
terms and conditions, so that, by the fact that Jimenez,
Chairman of the Committee on Management, and Engr.
Rada, General Manager of MOELCI, had signed their
names under the word „CONFORME,‰ they, in effect,
agreed with the terms and conditions with respect to the
purchase of the subject 10 MVA Power Transformer. As
correctly argued by

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10 Id.
11 Id.
12 Id.

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David vs. Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

David, if their purpose was merely to acknowledge the


receipt of the proposal, they would not have signed their
name under the word „CONFORME.‰
Besides, the uncontroverted attending circumstances
bolster the fact that there was consent or meeting of minds
in the transfer of ownership. To begin with, a board
resolution was issued authorizing the purchase of the
subject power transformer. Next, armed with the said
resolution, top officials of MOELCI visited DavidÊs office in
Quezon City three times to discuss the terms of the
purchase. Then, when the loan that MOELCI was relying
upon to finance the purchase was not forthcoming,
MOELCI, through Engr. Rada, convinced David to do away
with the 50% downpayment and deliver the unit so that it
could already address its acute power shortage
predicament, to which David acceded when it made the
delivery, through the carrier William Lines, as evidenced by
a bill of lading.
Second, the document specified a determinate
subject matter which was one (1) Unit of 10 MVA Power
Transformer with corresponding KV Line Accessories. And
third, the document stated categorically the price
certain in money which was P5,200,000.00 for one (1)
unit of 10 MVA Power Transformer and P2,169,500.00 for
the KV Line Accessories.
In sum, since there was a meeting of the minds, there
was consent on the part of David to transfer ownership of
the power transformer to MOELCI in exchange for the
price, thereby complying with the first element. Thus, the
said document cannot just be considered a contract to sell
but rather a perfected contract of sale.
II.
Now, the next question is, was there a delivery?
MOELCI, in denying that the power transformer was
delivered to it, argued that the Bill of Lading which David
was

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David vs. Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

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relying upon was not conclusive. It argued that although


the bill of lading was stamped „Released,‰ there was
nothing in it that indicated that said power transformer
was indeed released to it or delivered to its possession. For
this reason, it is its position that it is not liable to pay the
purchase price of the 10 MVA power transformer.
This Court is unable to agree with the CA that there was
no delivery of the items. On the contrary, there was
delivery and release.
To begin with, among the terms and conditions of the
proposal to which MOELCI agreed stated:

„2. Delivery―Ninety (90) working days upon receipt of your


purchase order and downpayment.
C&F Manila, freight, handling, insurance, custom duties
and incidental expenses shall be for the account of MOELCI
II.‰13 (Emphasis supplied)

On this score, it is clear that MOELCI agreed that the


power transformer would be delivered and that the freight,
handling, insurance, custom duties, and incidental
expenses shall be shouldered by it.
On the basis of this express agreement, Article 1523 of
the Civil Code becomes applicable. It provides:

„Where, in pursuance of a contract of sale, the seller is


authorized or required to send the goods to the buyer
delivery of the goods to a carrier, whether named by the
buyer or not, for the purpose of transmission to the buyer is
deemed to be a delivery of the goods to the buyer, except in
the cases provided for in Article 1503, first, second and third
paragraphs, or unless a contrary intent appears.‰ (Emphasis
supplied)

Thus, the delivery made by David to William Lines, Inc.,


as evidenced by the Bill of Lading, was deemed to be a
delivery to MOELCI. David was authorized to send the
power trans-

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13 Records, p. 4.

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David vs. Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

former to the buyer pursuant to their agreement. When


David sent the item through the carrier, it amounted to a
delivery to MOELCI.
Furthermore, in the case of Behn, Meyer & Co. (Ltd.) v.
Yangco,14 it was pointed out that a specification in a
contract relative to the payment of freight can be taken to
indicate the intention of the parties with regard to the
place of delivery. So that, if the buyer is to pay the freight,
as in this case, it is reasonable to suppose that the subject
of the sale is transferred to the buyer at the point of
shipment. In other words, the title to the goods transfers to
the buyer upon shipment or delivery to the carrier.
Of course, Article 1523 provides a mere presumption
and in order to overcome said presumption, MOELCI
should have presented evidence to the contrary. The burden
of proof was shifted to MOELCI, who had to show that the
rule under Article 1523 was not applicable. In this regard,
however, MOELCI failed.
There being delivery and release, said fact constitutes
partial performance which takes the case out of the
protection of the Statute of Frauds. It is elementary that
the partial execution of a contract of sale takes the
transaction out of the provisions of the Statute of Frauds so
long as the essential requisites of consent of the contracting
parties, object and cause of the obligation concur and are
clearly established to be present.15
That being said, the Court now comes to DavidÊs prayer
that MOELCI be made to pay the total sum of
P5,472,722.27 plus the stipulated interest at 24% per
annum from the filing of the complaint. Although the Court
agrees that MOELCI should pay interest, the stipulated
rate is, however, unconscionable and should be equitably
reduced. While there is no

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14 38 Phil. 602, 605 (1918).
15 Dao Heng Bank, Inc. v. Spouses Laigo, G.R. No. 173856, November
20, 2008, 571 SCRA 434, 443.

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David vs. Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

question that parties to a loan agreement have wide


latitude to stipulate on any interest rate in view of the
Central Bank Circular No. 905 s. 1982 which suspended
the Usury Law ceiling on interest effective January 1,
1983, it is also worth stressing that interest rates whenever
unconscionable may still be reduced to a reasonable and
fair level. There is nothing in the said circular which grants
lenders carte blanche authority to raise interest rates to
levels which will either enslave their borrowers or lead to a
hemorrhaging of their assets.16 Accordingly, the excessive
interest of 24% per annum stipulated in the sales invoice
should be reduced to 12% per annum.
Indeed, David was compelled to file an action against
MOELCI but this reason alone will not warrant an award
of attorneyÊs fees. It is settled that the award of attorneyÊs
fees is the exception rather than the rule. CounselÊs fees
are not awarded every time a party prevails in a suit
because of the policy that no premium should be placed on
the right to litigate. AttorneyÊs fees, as part of damages, are
not necessarily equated to the amount paid by a litigant to
a lawyer. In the ordinary sense, attorneyÊs fees represent
the reasonable compensation paid to a lawyer by his client
for the legal services he has rendered to the latter; while in
its extraordinary concept, they may be awarded by the
court as indemnity for damages to be paid by the losing
party to the prevailing party. AttorneyÊs fees as part of
damages are awarded only in the instances specified in
Article 2208 of the Civil Code17 which demands factual,
legal, and equitable justification. Its basis cannot be left to
speculation or conjecture. In this regard, none was proven.
Moreover, in the absence of stipulation, a winning party
may be awarded attorneyÊs fees only in case plaintiff Ês
action or defendantÊs stand is so untenable as to amount to
gross

_______________
16 Castro v. Tan, G.R. No. 168940, November 24, 2009, 605 SCRA 231,
237-238.
17 Id., at p. 455.

381

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SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED VOLUME 676 2/21/18, 1:43 AM

VOL. 676, JULY 11, 2012 381


David vs. Misamis Occidental II Electric Cooperative, Inc.

and evident bad faith.18 MOELCIÊs case cannot be similarly


classified.
Also, DavidÊs claim for the balance of P73,059.76 plus
the stipulated interest is denied for being unsubstantiated.
WHEREFORE, the petition is GRANTED. The July 8,
2010 Decision of the Court of Appeals is REVERSED and
SET ASIDE. Respondent Misamis Occidental II Electric
Cooperative, Inc. is ordered to pay petitioner Virgilio S.
David the total sum of P5,472,722.27 with interest at the
rate of 12% per annum reckoned from the filing of the
complaint until fully paid.
SO ORDERED.

Velasco, Jr. (Chairperson), Peralta, Reyes** and Perlas-


Bernabe, JJ., concur.

Petition granted, judgment reversed and set aside.

Notes.―By the contract of sale, one of the contracting


parties obligates himself to transfer the ownership of and
deliver a determinate thing, and the other to pay therefor a
price certain in money or its equivalent. (Hyatt Elevators
and Escalators Corporation vs. Cathedral Heights Building
Complex Association, Inc., 636 SCRA 401 [2010])
A simulated contract of sale is without any cause or
consideration, and is, therefore, null and void―no
independent action to rescind or annul the contract is
necessary, and it may be treated as non-existent for all
purposes. (Heirs of Policronio M. Ureta, Sr. vs. Heirs of
Liberato M. Ureta, 657 SCRA 555 [2011])
――o0o――

_______________
18 Benedicta v. Villafores, G.R. No. 185020, October 6, 2010, 632
SCRA 446, 456.
** Designated Acting Member in lieu of Associate Justice Roberto A.
Abad, per Special Order No. 1244 dated June 26, 2012.

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