De Mesa v Acero, G.R. No. 185064, January 16, 2012 FACTS: This case involves a parcel of lan in !

!or"es #$ree$, %oun$ &ar'el (o'es #u" ivision, )"a, %eycauayan, *ulacan, +hich +as for'erly covere "y T&T issue "y $he Re,is$er of -ee s of *ulacan an re,is$ere un er .raceli/s na'e. The pe$i$ioners 0oin$ly purchase $he su"0ec$ proper$y on .pril 11, 1284 +hile $hey +ere s$ill 'erely coha"i$in, "efore $heir 'arria,e. . house +as la$er cons$ruc$e on $he su"0ec$ proper$y, +hich $he pe$i$ioners $hereaf$er occupie as $heir fa'ily ho'e af$er $hey ,o$ 'arrie so'e$i'e in January 1281. .raceli3pe$4 o"$aine a 5100,000 loan fro' &lau io .cero secure "y a 'or$,a,e over $he su"0ec$ proper$y. .s pay'en$, .raceli issue a chec6 ra+n a,ains$ &hina *an6in, &orpora$ion paya"le $o &lau io. 7hen chec6 +as presen$e for pay'en$, i$ +as ishonore as accoun$ ha alrea y "een close . 5e$i$ioners faile $o hee &lau io8s e'an for pay'en$. &lau io file $hen a co'plain$ for viola$ion of *5 22 a,ains$ pe$i$ioners. RT& ac9ui$$e pe$i$ioners "u$ or ere $he' $o pay &lau io $he 5100,000 +: le,al in$eres$ un$il fully pai . . +ri$ of e;ecu$ion +as issue an #heriif #a'on$e levie upon $he su"0ec$ proper$y, $hus +as sol $o pu"lic auc$ion, lua io +as $he hi,hes$ "i er an cer$ifica$e of sale +as $hen issue $o hi'. &lau io lease proper$y $o pe$i$ioners an a cer$ain Juani$o <liva 3 5,500: 'on$h4. (o+ever "o$h efaul$e in pay'en$ of ren$. =na"le $o collec$ ren$als, &lau io an Rufina 3.cero #pouses4 file a co'plain$ for e0ec$'en$ +i$h %T& a,ains$ pe$i$ioners an 0uan$io. 5e$i$ioners clai'e spouse .cero has no ri,h$ over $he proper$y sayin, $ha$ $hey are no$ 'ere lessors an on $he con$rary $hey are $he la+ful o+ners of $he proper$y an canno$ "e evic$e . %T& rule in favour of .cero an or ere pe$i$ioners $o vaca$e $he proper$y. .ccor in, $o %T&, su"0ec$ proper$y "elon,s $o &lau io as sho+n "y $he T&T, also s$a$in, $ha$ $orren$ $i$le over su"0ec$ proper$y +as issue in &lau io8s na'e up $o $i'e co'plain$ for e0ec$'en$ +as file . an pe$i$ioners never assaile vali i$y of $he levy 'a e "y $he sheriff, $hus $he re,ulari$y of $he pu"lic sale +as con uc$e an le,i$i'acy of &lau io8s Torrens $i$le +as issue . Thus, pe$i$ioners file a co'plain$ $o nullify $he T&T +i$h a'a,es asser$in, $ha$ proper$y +as $here fa'ily ho'e +hich is e;e'p$ fro' e;ecu$ion un er $he !& an coul no$ "e levie upon. RT& is'isse co'plain$ an ci$e .r$. 1553>4 of !& rulin, $ha$ even assu'in, i$ is a fa'ily ho'e, e;e'p$ion fro' e;ecu$ion oes no$ apply. . 'or$,a,e +as cons$i$u$e over $he proper$y $o secure $he loan .raceli o"$aine fro' &lau io an i$ +as levie upon as pay'en$. They appeale , &. affir'e RT& ecision. (ence $his pe$i$ion. ISSUE: 7<N pe$i$ioners are ,uil$y of foru' shoppin,? N< 7<N @& erre in refusin, $o cancel &lau io8s Torrens $i$le over $he su"0ec$ proper$y? N< HELD: 1. There is foru'Ashoppin, +hen as a resul$ of an a verse ecision in one foru', or in an$icipa$ion , a par$y see6s a favora"le opinion in ano$her foru' $hrou,h 'eans o$her $han an appeal or cer$iorari. !oru'Ashoppin, e;is$s +hen $+o or 'ore ac$ions involve $he sa'e $ransac$ions, essen$ial fac$s, an circu's$ancesB an raise i en$ical causes of ac$ion, su"0ec$ 'a$$er, an issues. !oru'Ashoppin, e;is$s +here $he ele'en$s of li$is pen en$ia are presen$, an +here a final 0u ,'en$ in one case +ill a'oun$ $o res 0u ica$a in $he o$her. The ele'en$s of foru'Ashoppin, areC 3a4 i en$i$y of par$ies, or a$ leas$ such par$ies as +oul represen$ $he sa'e in$eres$ in "o$h ac$ionsB 3"4 i en$i$y of ri,h$s asser$e an relief praye for, $he relief "ein, foun e on $he sa'e fac$sB an 3c4 i en$i$y of $he $+o prece in, par$iculars such $ha$

any 0u ,'en$ ren ere in $he o$her ac$ion +ill, re,ar less of +hich par$y is successful, a'oun$ $o res 0u ica$a in $he ac$ion un er consi era$ion. There is no i en$i$y of issues an reliefs praye for in $he e0ec$'en$ case an in $he ac$ion $o cancel T&T )$ is $rue $ha$ $he pe$i$ioners raise $he issue of o+nership over $he su"0ec$ proper$y in $he e0ec$'en$ case. (o+ever, $he resolu$ion $ is only provisional as $he sa'e is solely for $he purpose of e$er'inin, +ho a'on, $he par$ies $herein has a "e$$er ri,h$ of possession over $he su"0ec$ proper$y. 2. (ere, $he su"0ec$ proper$y "eca'e a fa'ily resi ence so'e$i'e in January 1281. There +as no sho+in,, $ha$ $he sa'e +as 0u icially or e;$ra0u icially cons$i$u$e as a fa'ily ho'e in accor ance +i$h $he provisions of $he &ivil &o e. #$ill, +hen $he !a'ily &o e $oo6 effec$ on .u,us$ >, 1288, $he su"0ec$ proper$y "eca'e a fa'ily ho'e "y opera$ion of la+ an +as $hus prospec$ively e;e'p$ fro' e;ecu$ion. The pe$i$ioners +ere $hus correc$ in asser$in, $ha$ $he su"0ec$ proper$y +as a fa'ily ho'e. The fa'ily ho'e/s e;e'p$ion fro' e;ecu$ion 'us$ "e se$ up an prove $o $he #heriff "efore $he sale of $he proper$y a$ pu"lic auc$ion. (o+ever pe$i$ioners shoul have asser$e $he su"0ec$ proper$y "ein, a fa'ily ho'e an i$s "ein, e;e'p$e fro' e;ecu$ion a$ $he $i'e i$ +as levie or +i$hin a reasona"le $i'e $hereaf$er. 5e$i$ioners are no+ "arre an in es$oppel fro' clai'in, e;e'p$ion. The family home is a real right, which is grat ito s, i!alie!a"le a!# free from attachme!t$ )$ canno$ "e seiDe "y cre i$ors e;cep$ in cer$ain special cases.(o+ever, $his ri,h$ can "e +aive or "e "arre "y laches "y $he failure $o se$ up an prove $he s$a$us of $he proper$y as a fa'ily ho'e a$ $he $i'e of $he levy or a reasona"le $i'e $hereaf$er. ) ! this case, %etitio!ers allowe# a co!si#era"le time to la%se "efore claimi!g that the s "&ect %ro%erty is a family home a!# its e'em%tio! from e'ec tio! a!# force# sale !#er the Family Co#e$ The %etitio!ers allowe# the s "&ect %ro%erty to "e levie# %o! a!# the % "lic sale to %rocee#$ (!e )*+ year la%se# from the time the s "&ect %ro%erty was sol# !til a Fi!al Dee# of Sale was iss e# to Cla #io a!#, later, Araceli,s Torre!s title was ca!celle# a!# a !ew o!e iss e# !#er Cla #io,s !ame, still, the %etitio!er remai!e# sile!t$ I! fact, it was o!ly after the res%o!#e!ts file# a com%lai!t for !lawf l #etai!er, or a%%ro'imately fo r )-+ years from the time of the a ctio! sale, that the %etitio!ers claime# that the s "&ect %ro%erty is a family home, th s, e'em%t from e'ec tio!$ !or all in$en$s an purposes, $he pe$i$ioners/ ne,li,ence or o'ission $o asser$ $heir ri,h$ +i$hin a reasona"le $i'e ,ives rise $o $he presu'p$ion $ha$ $hey have a"an one , +aive or ecline $o asser$ i$. #ince $he e;e'p$ion un er .r$icle 15> of $he !a'ily &o e is a personal ri,h$, i$ is incu'"en$ upon $he pe$i$ioners $o invo6e an prove $he sa'e +i$hin $he prescri"e perio an i$ is no$ $he sheriff/s u$y $o presu'e or raise $he s$a$us of $he su"0ec$ proper$y as a fa'ily ho'e. #i'ple 0us$ice an fairness an e9ui$a"le consi era$ions e'an $ha$ &lau io/s $i$le $o $he proper$y "e respec$e . E9ui$y ic$a$es $ha$ $he pe$i$ioners are 'a e $o suffer $he conse9uences of $heir une;plaine ne,li,ence.