THIRD DIVISION
G.R. No. 197728, September 16, 2015
SPOUSES ARMANDO AND LORNA TRINIDAD, Petitioners, v. DONA* MARIE GLENN IMSON, Respondent.
D E C I S I O N
PERALTA, J.:
Before the Court is a petition for review on certiorari under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court seeking the reversal and setting aside of the Decision1 and Resolution of the Court of Appeals (CA), dated December 22, 2010 and June 23, 2011,2 respectively, in CA-G.R. SP No. 110357. The assailed CA Decision reversed and set aside the Decision3 dated June 19, 2009 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Pasig City, Branch 155, while the questioned CA Resolution denied petitioners' Motion for Reconsideration.
The factual and procedural antecedents of the case are as follows:
On August 17, 2007, herein petitioners filed with the Metropolitan Trial Court (MeTC) of Pasig City a Complaint4 for ejectment against herein respondent. In their Position Paper,5 petitioners alleged that: they are the owners of a condominium unit, denominated as Unit 2203, which is located at AIC Gold Tower, Emerald Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City; they purchased the condominum unit from three (3) Indian nationals who originally contracted to buy the said property from the developer, AIC Realty Corporation (AIC), but had not fully paid for it yet; petitioners' purchase was evidenced by a Deed of Assignment and Transfer of Rights6 dated June 13, 2002 and, later on, a Deed of Absolute Sale7 dated July 13, 2007 in the name of petitioner Armando; at the time of petitioners' purchase of the subject condominium unit, the same was being leased by respondent from the original owners; the period of lease was from April 1, 2002 to March 1, 2003; petitioners respected the contract of lease between respondent and the original owners; however, since June 2002 up to the time of the filing of the complaint for ejectment, respondent neither remitted nor consigned the monthly rentals due to petitioners for her continued use of the condominium unit; the rental arrears amounted to a total of P2,130,000.00; petitioners sent a letter of demand to respondent requiring that she, together with any and all persons using the said unit with her approval, vacate the premises and pay her arrears; respondent ignored petitioners' demand letter; petitioners tried to settle the case amicably but no agreement was reached.
In her Answer with Compulsory Counterclaims,8 respondent countered that: she, indeed, entered into a contract of lease with the original owners of the disputed condominium unit which was to commence on April 1, 2002 and would end on March 1, 2003; sometime in June 2002, she decided to purchase the unit; however, since she was then undergoing proceedings to annul her previous marriage and thinking that her purchase of the subject property would disrupt the property arrangements already agreed upon, she thought it best not to have the condominium unit registered yet in her name; instead, she requested Armando Trinidad, who was her confidante, to purchase the unit and register it under his name with the understanding that the said property would actually be owned by respondent; Armando agreed without objection, which led to the execution of the Deed of Assignment and Transfer of Rights in his name; payments for the purchase price were made by respondent through cash and checks paid to the original owners who acknowledged said payments; aside from paying the purchase price, respondent also paid the real property taxes due on the condominium unit as well as the association dues, water bills, common area real estate tax, building insurance and other charges billed by the developer; having full trust in Armando, coupled with her hectic schedule, respondent did not bother to transfer ownership of the subject unit in her name; since April 2002 up to the time of filing her Answer, respondent has been in open and public possession of the subject property; in 2007, while respondent was out of the country, Armando, without respondent's knowledge, annotated his claim on the condominium certificate of title; he also executed a Deed of Absolute Sale in his favor on July 13, 2007; as a result, respondent was surprised to receive a copy of petitioners' demand letter and complaint.
On August 8, 2008, the MeTC of Pasig City, Branch 70, rendered its Decision9 dismissing petitioners' complaint and ordering them to pay respondent the amount of P250,000.00 as attorney's fees and cost of suit.
The MeTC found that respondent is the true owner of the subject property and that the true intention of the parties is for Armando to hold the condominium unit in behalf of respondent until the property could be placed in the latter's name.
Petitioners filed an appeal with the RTC of Pasig City.
On June 19, 2009, the RTC of Pasig City, Branch 155, rendered its Decision which reversed the MeTC Decision. The dispositive portion of the RTC judgment reads, thus:chanRoblesvirtualLawlibrary
WHEREFORE, premises considered, the Decision dated August 8, 2008 rendered by the Metropolitan Trial Court, Branch 70, Pasig City is hereby ordered REVERSED and SET ASIDE and a new one ENTERED ordering the defendant-appellee [herein respondent] and all persons claiming rights under her to vacate Unit 2203, AIC Gold Tower, Emerald Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City and to pay rental arrearages from July 13, 2007, at the rate of P30,000.00 per month, until such arrearages shall have been fully paid and the premises vacated and possession thereof restored to plaintiffs-appellants.The RTC held that, by preponderance of evidence, the question of ownership is resolved in favor of petitioners. The RTC held that the subject Deed of Assignment and Transfer of Rights and the Deed of Absolute Sale in the name of Armando is superior to the evidence presented by respondent, which merely consisted of bills of payments of association dues, utility bills, real estate tax on the common areas and building insurance.
SO ORDERED.10ChanRoblesVirtualawlibrary
Do the pieces of evidence shown by the Respondent suffice to provisionally declare her as owner of the subject condomunium unit?12The petition should be denied.
Does the evidence of the Respondent suffice to make an impression that it was the Respondent who paid the consideration for the Deed of Assignment and Transfer of Rights?13
[Was there] an implied trust?14ChanRoblesVirtualawlibrary
(a) When the findings are grounded entirely on speculation, surmises, or conjectures;cralawlawlibraryIn the present case, the findings of fact of the MeTC and the CA are in conflict with those of the RTC. It thus behooves this Court to look into the factual findings of the lower courts to determine the nature of respondent's possession of the disputed property.
(b) When the inference made is manifestly mistaken, absurd, or impossible;cralawlawlibrary
(c) When there is grave abuse of discretion;cralawlawlibrary
(d) When the judgment is based on a misapprehension of facts;cralawlawlibrary
(e) When the findings of facts are conflicting;cralawlawlibrary
(f) When in making its findings the CA went beyond the issues of the case, or its findings are contrary to the admissions of both the appellant and the appellee;cralawlawlibrary
(g) When the CA's findings are contrary to those of the trial court;cralawlawlibrary
(h) When the findings are conclusions without citation of specific evidence on which they are based;cralawlawlibrary
(i) When the facts set forth in the petition as well as in the petitioners main and reply briefs are not disputed by the respondent;cralawlawlibrary
(j) When the findings of fact are premised on the supposed absence of evidence and contradicted by the evidence on record; and
(k) When the CA manifestly overlooked certain relevant facts not disputed by the parties, which, if properly considered, would justify a different conclusion.18ChanRoblesVirtualawlibrary
Section 9. Evidence of written agreements. - x x xAs observed by the CA, respondent squarely put in issue in her Answer31 that the Deed of Assignment and Transfer of Rights did not express the true intent of the parties. Hence, the exception applies.
However, a party may present evidence to modify, explain or add to the terms of written agreement if he puts in issue in his pleading:chanRoblesvirtualLawlibrary(a) An intrinsic ambiguity, mistake or imperfection in the written agreement;cralawlawlibrary
(b) The failure of the written agreement to express the true intent and agreement of the parties thereto;
(c) The validity of the written agreement; or
(d) The existence of other terms agreed to by the parties or their successors in interest after the execution of the written agreement.
The term "agreement" includes wills.30ChanRoblesVirtualawlibrary
Sec. 2. Conclusive presumptions. — The following are instances of conclusive presumptions:chanRoblesvirtualLawlibraryIt is clear from the above-quoted provision that what a tenant is stopped from denying is the title of his landlord at the time of the commencement of the landlord-tenant relation.32 If the title asserted is one that is alleged to have been acquired subsequent to the commencement of that relation, the presumption will not apply.33 Hence, the tenant may show that the landlord's title has expired or been conveyed to another or himself; and he is not estopped to deny a claim for rent, if he has been ousted or evicted by title paramount.34 In the present case, what respondent is claiming is her title to the subject property which she acquired subsequent to the commencement of the landlord-tenant relation between her and the former owners of the questioned condominium unit. Thus, the presumption under Section 2 (b), Rule 131 of the Rules of Court does not apply and respondent is not estopped from asserting title over the disputed property.x x x x
(b) The tenant is not permitted to deny the title of his landlord at the time of the commencement of the relation of landlord and tenant between them.ChanRoblesVirtualawlibrary
Endnotes:
* Also spelled "Donna."
** Designated Acting Member in lieu of Associate Justice Bienvenido L. Reyes, per Special Order No. 2112 dated July 16, 2015.
1 Penned by Associate Justice Michael P. Elbinias, with Associate Justices Remedios A. Salazar-Fernando and Celia C. Librea-Leagogo, concurring; rollo, pp. 52-67.
2 Annex "F" to Petition, id. at 68-69.
3Penned by Judge Luis R. Tongco; Annex "B" to Petition, id. at 43-47.
4 CA rollo, pp. 187-191.
5Id. at 246-262.
6Id. at 199-202.
7Id. at 204-206.
8Id. at 216-223.
9 Penned by Judge Marina Gaerlan-Mejorada; Annex "A" to Petition, rollo, pp. 33-42.
10Id. at 47. (Emphasis in the original)
11 CA rollo, pp. 510-523.
12 Rollo, p. 13.
13Id. at 18.
14Id. at 21.
15Corpuz v. Spouses Agustin, 679 Phil. 352, 360 (2012).
16Id. at 360-361.
17Abalos, et al. v. Heirs of Vicente Torio, 678 Phil. 691, 699 (2011).
18Angeles v. Pascual, et al., 673 Phil. 499, 506 (2011).
19Ocampo, et al. v. Land Bank of the Philippines, Urdaneta, Pangasinan Branch, et al., 609 Phil. 337, 348 (2009).
20Id.
21Tamani, et al. v. Salvador, et al., 662 Phil. 495, 513 (2011); Chua v. Westmont Bank, et al., 683 Phil. 56, 66 (2012).
22 CA rollo, pp. 141-149.
23Id. at 150.
24Id. at 151-153.
25Id. at 154.
26Id. at 158-159.
27 See Letter of Demand, id. at 213.
28 See Rules of Court, Rule 130, Sec. 9, par. 1.
29Rebusquillo v. Gualvez, G.R. No. 204009, June 4, 2014, 725 SCRA 259, 270.
30 Emphasis supplied.
31 CA rollo, pp. 216-217; 220.
32Ermitaño v. Paglas, G.R. No. 174436, January 23, 2013, 689 SCRA 158, 167, citing Santos v. National Statistics Office, 662 Phil. 708, 721 (2011).
33Id.
34Id. at 721-722.
35Tong v. Go Tiat Kun, G.R. No. 196023, April 21, 2014, 722 SCRA 623, 635-636.
36Id. at 635.
37Id.
38Estate of Margarita D. Cabacungan v. Laigo, et al., 671 Phil. 132, 149 (2011).
39Id. at 149-150.
40Id. at 150.
41Id.
42 Tong v. Go Tiat Kun, supra note 35, at 636.