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G.R.No.L4067

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RepublicofthePhilippines
SUPREMECOURT
Manila
ENBANC
G.R.No.L4067November29,1951
IntheMatterofthewillofANTEROMERCADO,deceased.ROSARIOGARCIA,petitioner,
vs.
JULIANALACUESTA,ETAL.,respondents.
ElviroL.PeraltaandHermenegildoA.Prietoforpetitioner.
FaustinoB.Tobia,JuanI.InesandFedericoTacasonforrespondents.
PARAS,C.J.:
ThisisanappealfromadecisionoftheCourtofAppealsdisallowingthewillofAnteroMercadodatedJanuary3,
1943.ThewilliswrittenintheIlocanodialectandcontainsthefollowingattestationclause:
We, the undersigned, by these presents to declare that the foregoing testament ofAntero Mercado was
signedbyhimselfandalsobyusbelowhisnameandofthisattestationclauseandthatoftheleftmarginof
thethreepagesthereof.PagethreethecontinuationofthisattestationclausethiswilliswritteninIlocano
dialect which is spoken and understood by the testator, and it bears the corresponding number in letter
whichcomposeofthreepagesandallthemweresignedinthepresenceofthetestatorandwitnesses,and
thewitnessesinthepresenceofthetestatorandallandeachandeveryoneofuswitnesses.
Intestimony,whereof,wesignthisstatement,thisthethirddayofJanuary,onethousandninehundredforty
three,(1943)A.D.
(Sgd.)NUMERIANOEVANGELISTA

(Sgd.)"ROSENDACORTES

(Sgd.)BIBIANAILLEGIBLE
ThewillappearstohavebeensignedbyAtty.FlorentinoJavierwhowrotethenameofAnteroMercado,followed
below by "A reugo del testator" and the name of Florentino Javier.Antero Mercado is alleged to have written a
crossimmediatelyafterhisname.TheCourtofAppeals,reversingthejudgementoftheCourtofFirstInstanceof
IlocosNorte,ruledthattheattestationclausefailed(1)tocertifythatthewillwassignedonalltheleftmarginsof
thethreepagesandattheendofthewillbyAtty.FlorentinoJavierattheexpressrequestofthetestatorinthe
presenceofthetestatorandeachandeveryoneofthewitnesses(2)tocertifythatafterthesigningofthename
ofthetestatorbyAtty.Javierattheformer'srequestsaidtestatorhaswrittenacrossattheendofhisnameand
ontheleftmarginofthethreepagesofwhichthewillconsistsandattheendthereof(3)tocertifythatthethree
witnessessignedthewillinallthepagesthereoninthepresenceofthetestatorandofeachother.
In our opinion, the attestation clause is fatally defective for failing to state that Antero Mercado caused Atty.
FlorentinoJaviertowritethetestator'snameunderhisexpressdirection,asrequiredbysection618oftheCode
ofCivilProcedure.Thehereinpetitioner(whoisappealingbywayofcertiorarifromthedecisionoftheCourtof
Appeals)argues,however,thatthereisnoneedforsuchrecitalbecausethecrosswrittenbythetestatorafterhis
nameisasufficientsignatureandthesignatureofAtty.FlorentinoJavierisasurplusage.Petitioner'stheoryisthat
thecrossisasmuchasignatureasathumbmark,thelatterhavingbeenheldsufficientbythisCourtinthecases
of De Gala vs. Gonzales and Ona, 53 Phil., 104 Dolar vs. Diancin, 55 Phil., 479 Payad vs. Tolentino, 62 Phil.,
848Neyravs.Neyra,76Phil.,296andLopezvs.Liboro,81Phil.,429.
ItisnotherepretendedthatthecrossappearingonthewillistheusualsignatureofAnteroMercadoorevenone
ofthewaysbywhichhesignedhisname.Aftermaturereflection,wearenotpreparedtolikenthemeresignofthe
crosstoathumbmark,andthereasonisobvious.Thecrosscannotanddoesnothavethetrustworthinessofa
thumbmark.
Whathasbeensaidmakesitunnecessaryforustodeterminethereisasufficientrecitalintheattestationclause
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astothesigningofthewillbythetestatorinthepresenceofthewitnesses,andbythelatterinthepresenceof
thetestatorandofeachother.
Wherefore,theappealeddecisionisherebyaffirmed,withagainstthepetitioner.Soordered.
Feria,Pablo,Bengzon,Padilla,Reyes,JugoandBautistaAngelo,JJ.,concur.
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