NOV 1 4 2018,

3Republic of the flbilippines

~upreme Qtourt
fflanila

THIRD DIVISION

HIGHPOINT DEVELOPMENT G.R. No. 224389

CORPORATION,
Petitioner, Present:
PERALTA, J, Chairperson,
LEONEN,
- versus - GESMUNDO,*
REYES, J., JR., • and
HERNANDO, JJ.

REPUBLIC OF THE Prom-ulgated:

PHILIPPINES,
Respondent. November 7, 2018
x------------------------------------------------------- ~~--x
DECISION

PERALTA, J.:

In this Petition for Review on Certiorari under Rule 45 of the Rules

of Court, petitioner Highpoint Development Corporation assails the
Decision' dated December 17, 2015 and the Resolution" dated March 16,
2016 of the Court of Appeals (CA) in CA G.R. CEB CV No. 03996. The
assailed Decision reversed and set aside the Decision3 dated September 28,
2009 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) ofMandaue City, Branch 55 in LRC
Case No. N-676, for original registration of title, whereas the assailed
Resolution denied the reconsideration thereof.

The factual antecedents are as follows:

On wellness leave.
Rollo, pp. 33-4 7. Penned by Associate Justice Edgardo L. Delos Santos, and concurred in by
Associate Justice Edward B. Contreras and Associate Justice Gabriel T. Robeniol.
2
Id. at 50-54.
Id. at 55-65. Penned by Presiding Judge Ulric R. Canete.
Decision -2- G.R. No. 224389

On June 29, 2006, petitroner filed an Application for Original

Registration of Title under Presidential Decree (P.D.) No. 1529, otherwise
known as the Property Registration Decree, over a parcel of land situated at
Lot 7217, Barangay Lataban, Municipality of Li lo-an, Province of Cebu (the
subject property) before the RTC of Mandaue City, Branch 55 and docketed
as LRC Case No. N-676 (LRA Rec. No. N-78293). The subject property is
particularly described as follows:

A parcel of land (Lot 7217, Lilo-an, PLS-823, described on plan,

AP-07-002817), situated in the Barangay of Lataban, Municipality of
Lilo-an, province of Cebu, Island of Cebu. Bounded on x x x x x;
containing an area of FORTY-THREE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED
NINETEEN (43,919) square meters, more or less."

During the hearing conducted on January 22, 2008, petitioner offered

several documents in evidence; and the witnesses corroborate the same and
establish the jurisdictional facts of its application. Petitioner presented
Artemio Pitogo, Jesusa Longakit, Buenaventura Pendo, and Lydia G. Reuma
as its witnesses.

Artemio Pitogo testified that he was the documentary officer in charge

of securing the certifications and compliance with all the documentary
requirements of petitioner. He traced the ownership and possession of the
subject property, starting from the ownership of one Leoncio Sasing until
petitioner's purchase of the same from one Jose Gildo S. Tiu, by virtue of a
Deed of Sale executed between petitioner and Merllen T. Lee, Jose Gildo S.
Tiu's authorized representative, evidenced by a Special Power of Attorney.5

Afterwards, petitioner's Finance Manager, Lydia G. Reuma,

corroborated Artemio Pitogo's testimony, and further testified that the
subject property was declared by Leoncio Sasing for taxation purposes as
early as 1945. In addition, Lydia G. Reuma testified that the Community
Environment and Natural Resources Office ( CENRO) Certification certified
that the subject property was found to be within the "Alienable and
Disposable Block, Project No. 29, Land Classification Map 1391, Forestry
Administrative Order 4-537 dated July 31, 1940."6

Jesusa Longakit and Buenaventura Pendo, both residents of Lataban,

Lilo-an, Cebu, testified as to their familiarity with the subject property,
particularly the possession and ownership of its previous owners. Moreover,

Id. at 55.
Id. at 13.
6
Id.
Decision - 3 - G.R. No. 224389

Jesusa Longakit alleges that she was one of the agents who sold the subject
7
property to Merllen T. Lee.

On September 28, 2009, the RTC rendered the decision granting

petitioner's application for registration of title. The RTC held that all the
requisites for the registration of the subject property were present, and that
the subject property was indeed alienable and disposable as indicated from
the CENRO Certificate classifying said property as such since July 3 I,
1940.8 The RTC was also convinced that petitioner has adverse possession
of the subject property, indicated in the tax declarations in the names of
petitioner's predecessors-in-interest, the oldest of which was issued in 1945.
These tax declarations strengthened the testimonies of the witnesses
presented on the predecessors-in-interest's possession of the subject property
for more than 30 years.

Aggrieved, respondent Republic of the Philippines, through the Office

of the Solicitor General, filed its Motion for Reconsideration, alleging
failure on the part of petitioner to prove that: (a) the subject property was
indeed alienable and disposable land of the public domain; and (b) it had
sufficiently established possession of the subject property for the period
required by law.9 However, the RTC, in its Order dated March 30, 2011,
denied respondent's Motion for Reconsideration, prompting the latter to file
an appeal before the CA.

In its appeal, respondent argued that petitioner cannot solely rely on

the CENRO Certification to prove that the subject land is alienable and
disposable. Respondent further explained that in addition to said
certification, jurisprudence requires the presentation of a certified true copy
of the original classification approved by the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary, as certified by the legal custodian
of the official records. Respondent, in addition, disagrees with the findings
of the RTC that the witnesses sufficiently showed that petitioner and its
predecessors-in-interest proved their open, continuous, exclusive, and
notorious possession for the period required by law. Lastly, respondent
assails that petitioner's reliance on the tax declarations is unmeritorious
since the same only show signs of possession in the concept of an owner and
require further proof of specific acts of ownership.l''

The CA found respondent's appeal to be meritorious. The fallo of the

Decision states: /

Id.
Id. at 14.
9
Id. at 15.
10
Id. at 38.
Decision -4- G.R. No. 224389

WHEREFORE, premises considered, the instant appeal is

GRANTED. The November 21, 2007 Decision dated 28 September 2009
rendered by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Mandaue City, Branch 55,
?111 Judicial Region, in Land Reg. Case No. N-676 (LRA Record No. N-
78293) is hereby REVERSED and SET ASIDE. Accordingly, the
Application for Registration of Title of applicant-appellee Highpoint
Development Corporation in the said case is DENIED.

SO ORDERED.11

In reversing the RTC Decision, the CA found that petitioner failed to

show any express declaration by the national government or any branch of
the local government that the subject property has ceased to be part of the
public domain, and is thus alienable and disposable, as required under
Section 14( 1) of P .D. No. 1529. 12

A motion for reconsideration was filed by petitroner but the CA

denied the same on March 16, 2016. Hence, the present Petition.

Petitioner raises the following issues: (a) whether the pro hac vice
ruling in Republic of the Phils. v. Vega, et al. 13 can be applied in favor of
petitioner, contrary to the ruling in Rep. of the Phils. v. T.A.N. Properties,
Inc.;14 and (b) whether there is cogent reason to revisit the Court's ruling in
Rep. of the Phils. v. T.A.N. Properties, Inc. 15

We rule in the negative.

At the outset, it is important to explain the meaning of a pro hac vice

ruling as defined by this Court. In Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) v.
COMELEC, 16 pro hac vice is defined as a Latin term meaning ''for this one
particular occasion=t' Similarly, in Tadeja, et al. v. People, 18 the Court
held that a pro hac vice ruling is a "ruling expressly qualified as such
cannot be relied upon as a precedent to govern other cases.t'"

Notably, in reversing the RTC Decision, the CA appropriately cited

the case of Rep. of the Phils. v. T.A.N. Properties, Inc. ,20 viz.:

II
12
13
14
Id. at 46.
Id. at 45.
654 Phil. 511 (2011).
578 PhiL 441 (2008).
c1
15
Id; ro!lo, p. 16.
16
519 Phil. 644 (2006).
17
Id at 671.
18
704 Phil. 260(2013).
19
Id. at 277.
20
Supra note 14.
Decision - ) - G.R. No. 224389

x x x [I]t is not enough for the PENRO or CENRO to certify that a

land is alienable and disposable. The applicant for land registration must
prove that the DENR Secretary had approved the land classification and
released the land of the public domain as alienable and disposable, and
that the land subject of the application for registration falls within the
approved area per verification through survey by the PENRO or CENRO.
In addition, the applicant for land registration must present a copy of the
original classification approved by the DENR Secretary and certified as a
true copy by the legal custodian of the official records. These facts must
be established to prove that the land is alienable and disposable.
Respondent failed to do so because the certifications presented by
respondent do not, by themselves, prove that the land is alienable and
disposable.21

Hence, it cannot be denied that petitioner erred in relying on the

Court's ruling in Vega, as such case cannot be relied upon as a precedent to
govern other cases. As correctly pointed out by respondent, the Vega ruling
held:

It must be emphasized that the present ruling on substantial

compliance applies pro hac vice. It does not in any way detract from our
rulings in Republic v. T.A.N. Properties, Inc., and similar cases which
impose a strict requirement to prove that the public land i;S alienable and
disposable, especially in this case when the Decisions of the lower court
and the Court of Appeals were rendered prior to these rulings. To establish
that the land subject of the application is alienable and disposable public
land, the general rule remains: all applications for original registration
under the Property Registration Decree must include both (1) a CENRO or
PENRO certification and (2) a certified true copy of the original
classification made by the DENR Secretary.22 (Citation omitted, emphasis
ours)

Highly relevant is the Court's ruling in the recent case of Republic of

the Philippines v. Alaminos Jee Plant and Cold Storage, Inc., etc.,23 to wit:

x x x [T]he appellate court erred in relying solely on the CENRO

certification in order to affirm the approval of the application for the
original registration of the subject public land. Significantly - and this
point serves to stress the gravity of the CA's mistake -- the CA ruling
came after this Court had promulgated Republic v. T.A.N. Properties,
wherein the strict requirement in land registration cases for proving
public dominion lands as alienable and disposable had been duly
recognized.

The above pronouncements in Republic v. T.A. N.

Properties remain current, and were current at the time of the CA ruling.
Naturally, the pronouncements found iteration in succeeding

21
id. at 452-453.
22
Republic of the Phils. v. Vega, et al., supra note 13, at 527.
2)
G.R. No. 189723, July 11, 2018.
Decision -6- G.R. No. 224389

cases, notably in the 2011 pro hac vice case of Republic v. Vega, where
the general rule was nevertheless summarized and reaffirmed in this wise:

To establish that the land subject of the application is

alienable and disposable public land, the general rule
remains: all applications for original registration under the
Property Registration Decree must include both (1) a
CENRO or PENRO certification and (2) a certified true
copy of the original classification made by the DENR
Secretary.

Respondent failed to present a certified true copy of the DENR's

original classification of the land. With this failure, the presumption that
Lot 6411-B, Csd-01-013782-D, is inalienable public domain has not
been overturned. The land is incapable of registration in this case. On the
strength of this reason alone, we reverse the assailed ruling. (Citations
omitted, emphasis ours)

Moreover, it must be emphasized that petitioner cannot simply forego

the submission of the DENR certification as a requirement for the
registration of title and claim that it has substantially complied with the
requirements of law. The certification issued by the DENR Secretary is
essential since he or she is the official authorized to approve land
classification, including the release of land from public domain.24 Republic
of the Philippines v. Spouses Go25 further provides a comprehensive
explanation of such requirement, to wit:

x x x [ A ]n applicant has the burden of proving that the public land

has been classified as alienable and disposable. To do this, the applicant
must show a positive act from the government declassifying the land from
the public domain and converting it into an alienable and disposable land.
"[T]he exclusive prerogative to classify public lands under existing laws is
vested in the Executive Department." In Victoria v. Republic:

To prove that the land subject of the application for

registration is alienable, an applicant must establish the
existence of a positive act of the government such as a
presidential proclamation or an executive order; an
administrative action; investigation reports of Bureau of
Lands investigators; and a legislative act or statute. The
applicant may secure a certification from the government
that the lands applied for are alienable and disposable, but
the certification must show that the DENR Secretary had
approved the land classification and released the land of the
pub[l]ic domain as alienable and disposable[.]

Section X (1) of the DENR Administrative Order No. 1998-24 and

Section IX (1) of DENR Administrative Order No. 2000-11 affirm that the
DENR Secretary is the approving authority for "[ljand classification and

24
Republic of the Philippines v. Malijan-Javicr, (i.R. No. 214367, April 4, 2018, citing Republic of
the Philippines v. Spouses Go, G.R. No. 197297, August 2, 2017. /11"
z5 Id. t/ 1
Decision -7- G.R. No. 224389

release of lands of the public domain as alienable and disposable." Section

4.6 of DENR Administrative Order No. 2007-20 defines land
classification as follows:

Land classification is the process of demarcating,

segregating, delimiting and establishing the best category,
kind, and uses of public lands. Article XII, Section 3 of the
1987 Constitution of the Philippines provides that lands of
the public domain are to be classified into agricultural,
forest or timber, mineral lands, and national parks.

These provisions, read with Victoria v. Republic, establish the rule

that before an inalienable land of the public domain becomes private land,
the DENR Secretary must first approve the land classification into an
agricultural land and release it as alienable and disposable. The DENR
Secretary's official acts "may be evidenced by an official publication
thereof or by a copy attested by the officer having legal custody of the
record, or by his deputy."

xxxx
The CENRO certification is issued only to verify the DENR
Secretary issuance through a survey.26 (Citations omitted)

Lastly, petitioner cannot compel the courts to approve an application

simply on the ground of substantial compliance, as such falls within their
"sound discretion and based solely on the evidence presented on record.?"
as properly exercised by the CA in its assailed decision.

In fine, the Court holds that the CENRO certification offered by

petitioner in this case is insufficient to prove that the subject property has
indeed been declared alienable and disposable. Accordingly, we find no
cogent reason to disturb the ruling in Rep. of the Phils. v. TA.N. Properties,
Inc. 28

WHEREFORE, based on the foregoing premises, the petition is

DENIED. The Decision dated December 17, 2015 of the Court of Appeals
in CA-G.R. CEB CV No. 03996, reversing and setting aside the Decision of
the Regional Trial Court of Mandaue City, Branch 55, dated September 28,
2009, in LRC Case No. N-676, is AFFIRMED in toto. The application for
original registration of title filed by petitioner Highpoint Development
Corporation in said registration case is hereby DISMISSED.

26
Republic of the Philippines v. Malijan-Javier, supra note 24, citing Republic of the Philippines v.
ffmtse.,: Go, sup:a note 24..
· Republic of the P/11/s. v. VeRa. et al.. supra note 13, at 527. ,,,j;
za Supra note I 4. {!' f
Decision -8- G.R. No. 224389

SO ORDERED.

WE CONCUR:

On wellness leave On wellness leave

ALEXANDER G. GESMUNDO JOSE C. REYES, JR.
Associate Justice Associate Justice

\Q~l
RAMON PAULL.HERNANDO
Associate Justice

ATTESTATION

I attest that the conclusions in the above Decision had been reached in
consultation before the case was assigned to the writer of the opinion of the

Court's Division.
Associat Justice
Chairperson, Third Division
 Decision . 9 . G.R. No. 224389

CERTIFICATION

Pursuant to Section 13, Article VIII of the Constitution and the

Division Chairperson's Attestation, I certify that the conclusions in the above
Decision had been reached in consultation before the case was assigned to
the writer of the opinion of the Court's Division.

NTONIO T. CA
Senior Associate Justice
(Per Section 12, Republic Act
No. 296, The Judiciary Act of
1948, as amended)

1T11!JED TRUE COPY

WJLF ,DOV.~~
Div i5 i O !I CI erk of Co u 1· t
Third Division

NOV l 4 2018