SECOND DIVISION
[G.R. No. 39696. February 8, 1934. ]
MARIA GUERRERO ET AL., Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. JOSE DE LA CUESTA, CRISTINA MINA ET AL., Defendants-Appellants.
Vicente Llanes for appellants surnamed Mina.
No appearance for Appellees.
SYLLABUS
1. JUDGMENT AGAINST THE LAW; MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION TREATED AS MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL; COLLATION AND PARTITION OF PROPERTY. — When the trial court held that J. de la C. should collate the five parcels of land received by him as a gift from his mother instead of their value at the time the gift was made, that decision was clearly contrary to the provision of article 1045 of the Civil Code. The court realizing this fact treated the motion for reconsideration as a motion for a new trial and granted a new trial.
2. ID.; ID.; MODIFICATION OF ORIGINAL JUDGMENT. — The trial court did not err in granting a new trial case in view of the fact that the motion for reconsideration was based upon one of the causes for granting a new trial set forth in section 145 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Neither did that court err in modifying its original decision, in part, in order to bring it into harmony with the provisions of article 1045 of the Civil Code.
3. ID.; ID.; ID. — The fact that the trial court kept this motion under consideration until October 20, 1932, did not result in the original decision becoming final. It was essentially a motion for a new trial.
2. ID.; ID.; MODIFICATION OF ORIGINAL JUDGMENT. — The trial court did not err in granting a new trial case in view of the fact that the motion for reconsideration was based upon one of the causes for granting a new trial set forth in section 145 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Neither did that court err in modifying its original decision, in part, in order to bring it into harmony with the provisions of article 1045 of the Civil Code.
3. ID.; ID.; ID. — The fact that the trial court kept this motion under consideration until October 20, 1932, did not result in the original decision becoming final. It was essentially a motion for a new trial.
D E C I S I O N
GODDARD, J.:
The principal issue in this case, the only one of importance raised by appellants, is, does the filing of a motion for reconsideration within thirty days after notice of a decision, rendered by a Court of First Instance, prevent that decision from becoming final in case no action is taken thereon before the expiration of thirty days, when such motion is based on any of the causes, materially affecting the legitimate rights of the petitioner, appearing in section 145 of the Code of Civil Procedure?
The herein plaintiffs and defendants are relatives, all being direct descendants of the spouses Hilarion de la Cuesta and Valentina Zumel both of whom died intestate, Hilarion in 1873 and Valentina in 1921. The original complaint in this case filed July 24, 1923 was for the partition of 199 parcels of land. On March 19, 1925, the herein parties presented for approval of the court an agreement of partition of 185 of the parcels in litigation. The remaining 14 parcels described in the amended complaint, filed July 5, 1932, were not included in said agreement due to irreconcilable differences arising among the parties. In this amended complaint the plaintiffs pray that the remaining 14 parcels of land be divided among all the parties herein the same proportion and manner adopted in the partition agreement above-mentioned; that agreement be approved and that defendants be ordered to turn over to plaintiffs the products of these 14 parcels, or in lieu thereof that they be ordered to pay plaintiffs the sum P10,920.
In the original decision of the trial court, which is dated August 24, 1932, it was held that the defendant Jose de la Cuesta, who had received, by way of gift from his mother Valentina Zumel, parcels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the amended complainant, should collate said parcels, and not their value at the time of the gift, for the purpose of the partition among all of the parties.
The defendants Jose de la Cuesta was notified of this decision August 29, 1932, and on September 9, 1932, he filed the following motion:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"Comes now the defendant Jose de La Cuesta, through the undersigned attorney and to this Honorable Court respectfully prays for the reconsideration of that part of the decision which disposes that parcels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the above entitled case be distributed into four equal parts.
"That this Honorable Court likewise modify that part of the decision giving three months time within which the parties may submit a project of repartition of the five above-mentioned parcels.
"This reconsideration is requested in view of the following reasons:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"Article 1045 of the Civil Code provides:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"‘The same things bestowed as a gift or given in dowry need not be brought to collation and division, but only their value at the time of the gift or dowry, even though they should not have been appraised at the time.
"‘Their subsequent increase or decrease in value and even their total loss or destruction, whether casual or intentional, shall be for the account and risk or for the benefit of the donee.’
"The above provisions of the Civil Code together with the commentaries of Manresa are very clear on the point: that the donee can in no case be compelled to collate the same things donated in view of the fact that what was really donated at the time was only their value. What Manresa really says is that in the French Civil Code the coheir may demand not only the fictitious but also the material collation of real property. But in this jurisdiction the project of the Civil Code in 1851 in its article 887 and finally embodied in article 1045 of the present Civil Code radically departed from this viewpoint and made it simpler in the sense that whether the property donated is real or personal there shall be only fictitious collation.
"In view of the foregoing, it is respectfully prayed that the decision be reconsidered accordingly."cralaw virtua1aw library
All of the parties were duly notified of the hearing of this motion.
On October 20, 1932, the trial court dictated the following order:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"Se pide por el demandado Jose de la Cuesta en su mocion registrada en 9 de septiembre ultimo, por medio de su abogado, la reconsideracion y modificacion de la parte de la decision racaida en esta causa, que ordena la particion recaida en esta causa, que ordena la particion de las parcelas de terreno 2a., 3a., 4a., 5a. y 6a. descritas en la demanda enmendada entre las partes, en el sentido de que el valor de las citadas parcelas al tiempo de su donacion sea el que debe traerse a colacion, y repartirse entre las partes, en vez de las mismas parcelas segun dispone el articulo 1045 del Codigo Civil.
"El Juzgado, vista la mocion no halla terminos habiles para modificar su decision en el sentido que se pide, sin ordenar nueva vista, porque en autos no hay ninguna prueba que demuestre el valor de los terrenos en cuestion al tiempo de su donacion al demandado Jose de la Cuesta, porque la cuestion del valor de los mismos no se ha suscitado en los escritos de alegaciones.
"Para que puedan cumplirse las disposiciones del articulo 1045 del Codigo Civil, por el presente se ordena que se deje sin efecto la decision y sentencia recaida en esta causa y que se celebre nueva vista para que las partes presenten pruebas sobre el valor de los citados bienes, y para ello se señala el 2 de noviembre, 1932, a las 8 a. m. Asi se ordena."cralaw virtua1aw library
The plaintiffs and the other defendants noted their exceptions to this order.
On November 2, 1932, all of the herein parties filed an agreement in writing to the effect that the value of parcels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 was P350, Philippine currency, in 1900, the year Jose de la Cuesta received these parcels from his mother.
On November 11, 1932, the trial court, in what is termed a "Decision Adicional" held that, under article 1045 of the Civil Code, the five parcels of land in question need not be brought to collation and division; but that Jose de la Cuesta should pay to the persons, indicated therein, their respective portions of P350, the value of these parcels at the time of the gift. With this modification the original decision was approved.
The plaintiffs did not appeal from this decision, but the other defendants noted an exception and moved for a new trial. This motion was denied; an exception to the order of denial was noted and a notice of appeal was given. A bill of exceptions was presented in due time and approved by the trial court.
The appellants allege, in their brief, that the trial court committed the following errors:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"El Juzgado inferior erro:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"1.
The herein plaintiffs and defendants are relatives, all being direct descendants of the spouses Hilarion de la Cuesta and Valentina Zumel both of whom died intestate, Hilarion in 1873 and Valentina in 1921. The original complaint in this case filed July 24, 1923 was for the partition of 199 parcels of land. On March 19, 1925, the herein parties presented for approval of the court an agreement of partition of 185 of the parcels in litigation. The remaining 14 parcels described in the amended complaint, filed July 5, 1932, were not included in said agreement due to irreconcilable differences arising among the parties. In this amended complaint the plaintiffs pray that the remaining 14 parcels of land be divided among all the parties herein the same proportion and manner adopted in the partition agreement above-mentioned; that agreement be approved and that defendants be ordered to turn over to plaintiffs the products of these 14 parcels, or in lieu thereof that they be ordered to pay plaintiffs the sum P10,920.
In the original decision of the trial court, which is dated August 24, 1932, it was held that the defendant Jose de la Cuesta, who had received, by way of gift from his mother Valentina Zumel, parcels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the amended complainant, should collate said parcels, and not their value at the time of the gift, for the purpose of the partition among all of the parties.
The defendants Jose de la Cuesta was notified of this decision August 29, 1932, and on September 9, 1932, he filed the following motion:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"Comes now the defendant Jose de La Cuesta, through the undersigned attorney and to this Honorable Court respectfully prays for the reconsideration of that part of the decision which disposes that parcels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the above entitled case be distributed into four equal parts.
"That this Honorable Court likewise modify that part of the decision giving three months time within which the parties may submit a project of repartition of the five above-mentioned parcels.
"This reconsideration is requested in view of the following reasons:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"Article 1045 of the Civil Code provides:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"‘The same things bestowed as a gift or given in dowry need not be brought to collation and division, but only their value at the time of the gift or dowry, even though they should not have been appraised at the time.
"‘Their subsequent increase or decrease in value and even their total loss or destruction, whether casual or intentional, shall be for the account and risk or for the benefit of the donee.’
"The above provisions of the Civil Code together with the commentaries of Manresa are very clear on the point: that the donee can in no case be compelled to collate the same things donated in view of the fact that what was really donated at the time was only their value. What Manresa really says is that in the French Civil Code the coheir may demand not only the fictitious but also the material collation of real property. But in this jurisdiction the project of the Civil Code in 1851 in its article 887 and finally embodied in article 1045 of the present Civil Code radically departed from this viewpoint and made it simpler in the sense that whether the property donated is real or personal there shall be only fictitious collation.
"In view of the foregoing, it is respectfully prayed that the decision be reconsidered accordingly."cralaw virtua1aw library
All of the parties were duly notified of the hearing of this motion.
On October 20, 1932, the trial court dictated the following order:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"Se pide por el demandado Jose de la Cuesta en su mocion registrada en 9 de septiembre ultimo, por medio de su abogado, la reconsideracion y modificacion de la parte de la decision racaida en esta causa, que ordena la particion recaida en esta causa, que ordena la particion de las parcelas de terreno 2a., 3a., 4a., 5a. y 6a. descritas en la demanda enmendada entre las partes, en el sentido de que el valor de las citadas parcelas al tiempo de su donacion sea el que debe traerse a colacion, y repartirse entre las partes, en vez de las mismas parcelas segun dispone el articulo 1045 del Codigo Civil.
"El Juzgado, vista la mocion no halla terminos habiles para modificar su decision en el sentido que se pide, sin ordenar nueva vista, porque en autos no hay ninguna prueba que demuestre el valor de los terrenos en cuestion al tiempo de su donacion al demandado Jose de la Cuesta, porque la cuestion del valor de los mismos no se ha suscitado en los escritos de alegaciones.
"Para que puedan cumplirse las disposiciones del articulo 1045 del Codigo Civil, por el presente se ordena que se deje sin efecto la decision y sentencia recaida en esta causa y que se celebre nueva vista para que las partes presenten pruebas sobre el valor de los citados bienes, y para ello se señala el 2 de noviembre, 1932, a las 8 a. m. Asi se ordena."cralaw virtua1aw library
The plaintiffs and the other defendants noted their exceptions to this order.
On November 2, 1932, all of the herein parties filed an agreement in writing to the effect that the value of parcels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 was P350, Philippine currency, in 1900, the year Jose de la Cuesta received these parcels from his mother.
On November 11, 1932, the trial court, in what is termed a "Decision Adicional" held that, under article 1045 of the Civil Code, the five parcels of land in question need not be brought to collation and division; but that Jose de la Cuesta should pay to the persons, indicated therein, their respective portions of P350, the value of these parcels at the time of the gift. With this modification the original decision was approved.
The plaintiffs did not appeal from this decision, but the other defendants noted an exception and moved for a new trial. This motion was denied; an exception to the order of denial was noted and a notice of appeal was given. A bill of exceptions was presented in due time and approved by the trial court.
The appellants allege, in their brief, that the trial court committed the following errors:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"El Juzgado inferior erro:jgc:chanrobles.com.ph
"1.
