TodayisSunday,October22,2017

Custom Search

RepublicofthePhilippines
SUPREMECOURT
Manila

SECONDDIVISION

G.R.No.70458October5,1988

BENJAMINSALVOSAandBAGUIOCOLLEGESFOUNDATION,petitioners,
vs.

THEINTERMEDIATEAPPELLATECOURT,EDUARDOB.CASTRO,DIOMEDESB.CASTRO,VIRGINIAB.
CASTROandRODOLFOB.CASTRO.,respondents.

EdilbertoB.Tenefranciaforpetitioners.

LeonardoL.CocjinJr.forrespondents.

PADILLA,J.:
Inthispetitionforreviewoncertiorari,petitionersseekthereversalofthe

decision1ofrespondentIntermediateAppellateCourt,dated7December1984,inACG.R.No.CV69876,insofarasitaffirmedthedecision 2oftheCourtof
FirstInstanceofTarlac(hereinafterreferredtoastheTrialCourt),whichheld,amongothers,petitionerssolidarilyhablewithJimmyB.Abon,underArt.2180ofthe
CivilCode.

Therelevantfacts,asfoundbytheTrialCourtandadoptedbyreferencebytherespondentCourt,are:

... Baguio Colleges Foundation (BCF, hereafter) is an academic institution ... [However], it is also an institution of
artsandtrade.Ithassoadvertiseditself,asitsownevidenceshows.Itsbrochure(Exh.2)showsthatBCFhasa
fullfledged technicalvocational department offer Communication, Broadcast and Teletype Technician courses as
well as Electronics Serviceman and Automotive Mechanics courses... these courses divest BCF of the nature or
characterofbeingpurelyorexclusivelyanacademicinstitution.3

WithinthepremisesoftheBCFisanROTCUnit,theBaguioCollegesFoundationReserveOfficersTrainingCorps
(ROTC)Unit,whichisunderthefifthcontroloftheArmedForcesofthePhilippines. 4TheROTC Unit, by wayof
accommodationtotheArmedForcesofthePhilippines(AFP),pursuanttoDepartmentOrderNo.14,Seriesof1975
of the Department of Education and Culture, 5 is provided by the BCF an office and an armory located at the
basementofitsmainbuilding.6

TheBaguioCollegesFoundationROTCUnithadJimmyB.Abonasitsdulyappointedarmorer. 7Asarmorerofthe
ROTC Unit, Jimmy B. Abon received his appointment from the AFP. Not being an employee of the BCF, he also
received his salary from the AFP, 8 as well as orders from Captain Roberto C. Ungos, the Commandant of the
BaguioCollegesFoundationROTCUnit,concurrentCommandantofotherROTCunitsinBaguioandanemployee
(officer)oftheAFP.9JimmyB.AbonwasalsoacommercestudentoftheBCF.10

On3March1977,ataround8:00p.m.,intheparkingspaceofBCF,JimmyB.AbonshotNapoleonCastroastudent
oftheUniversityofBaguiowithanunlicensedfirearmwhichtheformertookfromthearmoryoftheROTCUnitof
theBCF.11Asaresult,NapoleonCastrodiedandJimmyB.Abonwasprosecutedfor,andconvictedofthecrimeof
HomicidebyMilitaryCommissionNo.30,AFP.12

Subsequently, the heirs of Napoleon Castro sued for damages, impleading Jimmy B. Abon, Roberto C. Ungos
(ROTCCommandantBenjaminSalvosa(PresidentandChairmanoftheBoardofBCF),JesusSalvosa(Executive
VicePresidentofBCF),LibertadD.Quetolio(DeanoftheCollegeofEducationandExecutiveTrusteeofBCF)and
the Baguio Colleges Foundation Inc. as party defendants. After hearing, the Trial Court rendered a decision, (1)
sentencing defendants Jimmy B. Abon, Benjamin Salvosa and Baguio Colleges Foundation, Inc., jointly and
severally,topayprivaterespondents,asheirsofNapoleonCastro:a)P12,000.00forthedeathofNapoleonCastro,
(b)P316,000.00asindemnityforthelossofearningcapacityofthedeceased,(c)P5,000.00asmoraldamages,(d)
P6,000.00asactualdamages,and(e)P5,000.00asattorney'sfees,pluscosts(2)absolvingtheotherdefendants
and(3)dismissingthedefendants'counterclaimforlackofmerit. 13Onappealbypetitioners,therespondentCourt
affirmedwithmodificationthedecisionoftheTrialCourt.Themodificationconsistedinreducingtheawardforlossof
earningcapacityofthedeceasedfromP316,000.00toP30,000.00bywayoftemperatedamages,andincreasing
theindemnityforthedeathofNapoleonCastrofromP12,000.00toP30,000.00.

Hence,thispetition.

The central issue in this case is whether or not petitioners can be held solidarity hable with Jimmy B. Abon for
damagesunderArticle2180oftheCivilCode,asaconsequenceofthetortiousactofJimmyB.Abon.

Under the penultimate paragraph of Art. 2180 of the Civil Code, teachers or heads of establishments of arts and
tradesarehablefor"damagescausedbytheirpupilsandstudentsorapprentices,solongastheyremainintheir
custody."Therationaleofsuchliabilityisthatsolongasthestudentremainsinthecustodyofateacher,thelatter
"stands, to a certain extent, in loco parentis [as to the student] and [is] called upon to exercise reasonable
supervision over the conduct of the [student]." 14 Likewise, "the phrase used in [Art. 2180 'so long as (the
students)remainintheircustodymeanstheprotectiveandsupervisorycustodythattheschoolanditsheadsand
teachersexerciseoverthepupilsandstudentsforaslongastheyareatattendanceintheschool,includingrecess
time."15

Inthecaseatbar,inholdingthatJimmyB.AbonwasstinintheprotectiveandsupervisorycustodyoftheBaguio
CollegesFoundationwhenheshotNapoleonCastro,therespondentCourtruledthat:

itistruethatAbonwasnotattendinganyclassorschoolfunctionatthetimeoftheshootingincident,
whichwasatabout8o'clockintheeveningbutconsideringthatAbonwasemployedasanarmorer
and property custodian of the BCF ROTC unit, he must have been attending night classes and
therefore that hour in the evening was just about dismissal time for him or soon thereafter. The time
interval is safely within the "recess time" that the trial court spoke of and envisioned by the Palisoc
case,supra.16(Emphasissupplied)

In line with the case of Palisoc, 17 a student not "at attendance in the school" cannot be in "recess" thereat. A
"recess," as the concept is embraced in the phrase "at attendance in the school," contemplates a situation of
temporary adjournment of school activities where the student still remains within call of his mentor and is not
permitted to leave the school premises, or the area within which the school activity is conducted. Recess by its
naturedoesnotincludedismissal. 18Likewise,themerefactofbeingenrolledorbeinginthepremisesofaschool
without more does not constitute "attending school" or being in the "protective and supervisory custody' of the
school,ascontemplatedinthelaw.

Upontheforegoingconsiderations,weholdthatJimmyB.Aboncannotbeconsideredtohavebeen"atattendance
in the school," or in the custody of BCF, when he shot Napoleon Castro. Logically, therefore, petitioners cannot
underArt.2180oftheCivilCodebeheldsolidarityliablewithJimmyB.Abonfordamagesresultingfromhisacts.

Besides,therecordshowsthatbeforetheshootingincident,RobertoB.UngosROTCUnitCommandant,AFP,had
instructedJimmyB.Abon"nottoleavetheofficeand[tokeepthearmory]wellguarded." 19Apartfromnegatinga
findingthatJimmyB.Abonwasunderthecustodyoftheschoolwhenhecommittedtheactforwhichthepetitioners
aresoughttobeheldliable,thiscircumstanceshowsthatJimmyB.Abonwassupposedtobeworkinginthearmory
withdefiniteinstructionsfromhissuperior,theROTCCommandant,whenheshotNapoleonCastro.

Petitioners also raise the issue that, under Art. 2180 of the Civil Code, a school which offers both academic and
technical/vocational courses cannot be held liable for a tort committed by a student enrolled only in its academic
programhowever,consideringthatJimmyB.AbonwasnotinthecustodyofBCFwhenheshotNapoleonCastro,
theCourtdeemsitunnecessarytopassuponsuchotherissue.20

WHEREFORE, the decision appealed from is hereby REVERSED in so far as it holds petitioners solidarily liable
withJimmyB.AbonforhistortiousactinthekillingofNapoleonCastro.Nocosts.

SOORDERED.

MelencioHerrera(Chairperson),Paras,SarmientoandRegalado,JJ.,concur.

Footnotes

1PennedbyJusticeSerafinE.CamilonandconcurredinbyJusticesCrisolitoPascualandDesiderio
P.Jurado.

2PennedbyJudgeFernandoS.Alcantara.

3Rollo,p.18.
 4Id.,at24RecordonAppeal,p.41AsstatedinthedecisionoftheTrialCourtandadoptedby
referencebytherespondentCourt.

5Exhibitsp.21.

6Seenote4,supra.

7Ibid.

8Ibid.

9Ibid.

10Rollo,p.24RecordonAppeal,p.42AsstatedinthedecisionoftheTrialCourtandadoptedby
referencebytherespondentCourt.

11Rello,p.24RecordonAppeal,p.40AsstatedinthedecisionoftheTrialCourtandadoptedby
referencebytherespondentCourt.

12Ibid.

13Rollo,p.24RecordonAppeal,p.46.

14Palisocv.Brillantes,41SCRA548.

15Ibid.

16Rollo,p.19.

17Palisocvs.Brillantes,etal.,L29025,Oct.4,1971,41SCRA548.

18ScheduleofclassesatBCFisfrom7:30a.m.to8:00p.m.TSN,6January1981,p.25.

20Thewriter,however,liketheponenteinthecaseofPalisocformerMr.ChiefJusticeClaudio
Teehankee,alsomanifestshisconcurrence"withtheviewsexpressedinthedissentingopinionofMr.
JusticeJ.B.L.ReyesinExconde[concurredinbyJusticesS.PadillaandA.Reyes]that'(1)canseeno
soundreasonforlimitingArt.1903oftheoldCivilCodetoteachersofartsandtradesandnotto
academicones.Whatsubstantialdifferenceistherebetweentheminsofarasconcernstheproper
supervisionandvigilanceovertheirpupils.Itcannotbeseriouslycontendedthatanacademicteacher
isexemptfromthedutyofwatchingthathispupilsdonotcommitatorttothedetrimentofthird
persons,solongastheyareinapositiontoexerciseauthorityandsupervisionoverthepupil."'

TheLawphilProjectArellanoLawFoundation