SECOND DIVISION
[G.R. No. 41941. January 9, 1936. ]
JUAN BENGZON, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. THE PROVINCE OF PANGASINAN, Defendant-Appellee.
Mario Bengzon for Appellant.
Provincial Fiscal Fajardo for Appellee.
SYLLABUS
NUISANCE; DAMAGES FOR MAINTAINING AND OPERATING APPARATUS FOR THE STORAGE OF WATER. — This is not a suit for equitable relief but an action for damages. The doctrine that one who consents to, permits or acquiesces in the erection of a structure with knowledge of the purpose for which it is to be put and the consequences of its erection and use will not be heard to say that the building or its uses are productive of a nuisance, is not applicable here, for the plaintiff neither consented to, permitted or acquiesced in the erection of the structure; nor could it fairly be said that he had knowledge in advance of all the consequences of the erection and the manner of operation of the plant here in question.
D E C I S I O N
BUTTE, J.:
In this case the motion for reconsideration of the decision promulgated on October 26, 1935, was granted and the case set for re-argument on December 17, 1935. The court having had the benefit of the oral argument of counsel on the issue of their present value of the premises of the plaintiff-appellant involved in this suit, its decision of October 26, 1935, is amended to read as follows:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"This is an appeal from a judgment of the Court of First Instance of Pangasinan in an action for damages for maintaining a nuisance continuously injurious to the plaintiff and his family by reason of the maintenance and operation of a stand pipe, pumping station and open reservoir for the storage of water upon the premises immediately adjacent to the plaintiff’s residence.
"It appears from the stipulation of facts that the plaintiff owns a house constructed of wood and covered with nipa on Avenida Rizal, municipality of Lingayen, Province of Pangasinan; that he and his family have resided there for twenty-seven years, his family being composed of eight members. Their house is of two stories constructed upon a lot which contains 720 square meters. Upon the adjacent lot the defendant, during the years 1924 and 1925, constructed a reinforced concrete stand pipe 28 meters high and nine meters in diameter. Within the base of this cylindrical tank there are three machines: One electrical, one gasoline and one crude oil. On the side of the tank nearest the plaintiff’s residence and at a distance of 3.4 meters is a chimney which rises to about the height of the gable of the house. The tank itself is 3.8 meters from the house of the plaintiff.
"In March, 1927, the plaintiff protested to the governor of the province for the manner in which the plant was being operator and asked that he be indemnified for the value of his house and lot so that he might move his family and his effects to another residence. In this protest he stated:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"‘Expide humo y olor desagradable que penetran en el interior de mi casa, aun cerradas sus ventanas, molestos y perjudiciales a nuestra salud. La chimenea de la maquina, que esta en el lado del tanque, contiguo al alero de mi casa, aunque esta envuelta en la cabeza como una red de acero chispea en ocasiones en que dentro de la red se ha acumulado por el humo bastante suciedad inflamable, y si algunas chispas llevadas por el viento, cayeran sobre el alero contiguo de mi casa, techada de nipa, ella naturalmente se incendiaria el momento sin darnos tiempo para salvar nada de su contenido.
"‘El tanque nos asusta y pone en peligro de ser aplastados por el, siempre que ocurre un temblor como ya ha ocurrido varias veces desde su levantamiento, por sus proporciones y condiciones mencionadas, y la circunstancia de estar plantado sobre terreno blando, bajo y anegadizo. No es improbable, ni menos increible, que este tanque volcara o se tumbara, si ocurriera en Lingayen un temblor tan fuerte como el ocurrido el año 63 u 80 en Manila, o el ocurrido en Japon en 1923, o en la fecha 7 de este mes, que derrumbo muchas casas, matando a millares de personas. Ninguna persona, por sabia que sea, puede dar certidumbre y seguridad de que no tumbaria, por cualquier terremoto fuerte que ocurriera aqui en Lingayen, maxime, estando cargada de CIEN MIL galones de agua en su parte superior. Y si en ocasion en que yo y mi familia estuvieramos dormidos, ocurrieran el temblor y el volcamiento del TANQUE hacia mi casa
"This is an appeal from a judgment of the Court of First Instance of Pangasinan in an action for damages for maintaining a nuisance continuously injurious to the plaintiff and his family by reason of the maintenance and operation of a stand pipe, pumping station and open reservoir for the storage of water upon the premises immediately adjacent to the plaintiff’s residence.
"It appears from the stipulation of facts that the plaintiff owns a house constructed of wood and covered with nipa on Avenida Rizal, municipality of Lingayen, Province of Pangasinan; that he and his family have resided there for twenty-seven years, his family being composed of eight members. Their house is of two stories constructed upon a lot which contains 720 square meters. Upon the adjacent lot the defendant, during the years 1924 and 1925, constructed a reinforced concrete stand pipe 28 meters high and nine meters in diameter. Within the base of this cylindrical tank there are three machines: One electrical, one gasoline and one crude oil. On the side of the tank nearest the plaintiff’s residence and at a distance of 3.4 meters is a chimney which rises to about the height of the gable of the house. The tank itself is 3.8 meters from the house of the plaintiff.
"In March, 1927, the plaintiff protested to the governor of the province for the manner in which the plant was being operator and asked that he be indemnified for the value of his house and lot so that he might move his family and his effects to another residence. In this protest he stated:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"‘Expide humo y olor desagradable que penetran en el interior de mi casa, aun cerradas sus ventanas, molestos y perjudiciales a nuestra salud. La chimenea de la maquina, que esta en el lado del tanque, contiguo al alero de mi casa, aunque esta envuelta en la cabeza como una red de acero chispea en ocasiones en que dentro de la red se ha acumulado por el humo bastante suciedad inflamable, y si algunas chispas llevadas por el viento, cayeran sobre el alero contiguo de mi casa, techada de nipa, ella naturalmente se incendiaria el momento sin darnos tiempo para salvar nada de su contenido.
"‘El tanque nos asusta y pone en peligro de ser aplastados por el, siempre que ocurre un temblor como ya ha ocurrido varias veces desde su levantamiento, por sus proporciones y condiciones mencionadas, y la circunstancia de estar plantado sobre terreno blando, bajo y anegadizo. No es improbable, ni menos increible, que este tanque volcara o se tumbara, si ocurriera en Lingayen un temblor tan fuerte como el ocurrido el año 63 u 80 en Manila, o el ocurrido en Japon en 1923, o en la fecha 7 de este mes, que derrumbo muchas casas, matando a millares de personas. Ninguna persona, por sabia que sea, puede dar certidumbre y seguridad de que no tumbaria, por cualquier terremoto fuerte que ocurriera aqui en Lingayen, maxime, estando cargada de CIEN MIL galones de agua en su parte superior. Y si en ocasion en que yo y mi familia estuvieramos dormidos, ocurrieran el temblor y el volcamiento del TANQUE hacia mi casa
