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PHILIPPINE SUPREME COURT DECISIONS

EN BANC

[G.R. No. L-3860. November 24, 1950. ]

THE MUNICIPAL MAYOR OF SAN PEDRO, LAGUNA, BENEDICTO AUSTRIA, Petitioner, v. NICASIO YATCO, Judge of the Court of First Instance of Laguna, and COLEGIO DE SAN JOSE, INC., Respondents.

Juan S. Rustia, for Petitioner.

Deogracias T. Reyes and Jose M. Luison, for Respondents.

SYLLABUS


1. MUNICIPAL CORPORATION; ORDINANCES; POWER TO REGULATE PRIVATE IRRIGATION SYSTEM. — A municipal corporation has no power under the law to regulate nor control by ordinance a private irrigation system.


D E C I S I O N


BENGZON, J.:


The incumbent municipal mayor of San Pedro, Laguna requests the annulment of the writ of preliminary injunction issued by the respondent judge of the court of first instance of said province restraining him and the municipal police force of San Pedro from executing Municipal Ordinance No. 12 of said municipality, which purports to regulate the use of "the irrigation system of this municipality" and gives the municipal mayor authority to issue the necessary orders for the use and appropriation of the waters thereof. The injunction was issued in civil case No. 9039 at the request of the Colegio de San Jose Inc., plaintiff therein.

The prayer is based principally upon the grounds that said municipal mayor was not a party to that case, wherein the irrigation system was not litigated, that the ordinance’s validity may not be collaterally attacked, and that the writ was otherwise illegally issued.

It appears that in said civil case No. 9039 the Colegio de San Jose petitioned for revival of a certain judgment entered in civil case No. 6663 of the said court where more than 700 tenants of the Hacienda de San Pedro Tunasan lost to the Colegio de San Jose, owner of the Hacienda, the judgment in its dispositive part providing:red:chanrobles.com.ph

"Por tanto, y en vista de las consideraciones arriba expuestas, se absuelve a los demandados de la demanda de los demandantes; se declara que los demandantes y sus causahabientes carecen de derecho de continuar ocupando, por si o por medio de otros, terrenos y solares de la Hacienda, se los condena a vacarlos enteramente y a entregarlos a los demandados libre de toda edificacion o mejora que pertenezca a dichos demandantes y sus causahabientes; se ordena que los demandados sean puestos en posesion de los solares y terrenos ocupados por los demandantes y sus causahabientes, con demolicion de edificaciones y mejoras pertenecientes a dichos demandantes, a pagar a la Hacienda sus respectivas deudas hasta el 31 de diciembre de 1935, seg
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