EN BANC
On 20 February 1998, Mario Malabanan led an application for land registration
[G.R. No. 179987. April 29, 2009.]
HEIRS OF MARIO MALABANAN , petitioner, vs . REPUBLIC OF THE
PHILIPPINES , respondent.
DECISION
TINGA , J : p Aristedes Velazco, testi ed at the hearing. Velazco testi ed that the property was
One main reason why the informal sector has not become formal is that
from Indonesia to Brazil, 90 percent of the informal lands are not titled and
registered. This is a generalized phenomenon in the so-called Third World. And it
has many consequences.
STHDAc
xxx xxx xxx
The question is: How is it that so many governments, from Suharto's in
Indonesia to Fujimori's in Peru, have wanted to title these people and have not
been able to do so effectively? One reason is that none of the state systems in
Asia or Latin America can gather proof of informal titles. In Peru, the informals
have means of proving property ownership to each other which are not the same
means developed by the Spanish legal system. The informals have their own
papers, their own forms of agreements, and their own systems of registration, all
of which are very clearly stated in the maps which they use for their own informal
business transactions.
If you take a walk through the countryside, from Indonesia to Peru, and you
walk by eld after eld — in each eld a different dog is going to bark at you.
Even dogs know what private property is all about. The only one who does not
know it is the government. The issue is that there exists a "common law" and an
"informal law" which the Latin American formal legal system does not know how
to recognize.
Hernando De Soto 1
This decision inevitably affects all untitled lands currently in possession of
persons and entities other than the Philippine government. The petition, while
unremarkable as to the facts, was accepted by the Court en banc in order to provide
de nitive clarity to the applicability and scope of original registration proceedings
under Sections 14 (1) and 14 (2) of the Property Registration Decree. In doing so, the
Court confronts not only the relevant provisions of the Public Land Act and the Civil
Code, but also the reality on the ground. The countrywide phenomenon of untitled lands,
as well as the problem of informal settlement it has spawned, has unfortunately been
treated with benign neglect. Yet our current laws are hemmed in by their own
circumscriptions in addressing the phenomenon. Still, the duty on our part is primarily
to decide cases before us in accord with the Constitution and the legal principles that
have developed our public land law, though our social obligations dissuade us from
casting a blind eye on the endemic problems.
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I.
covering a parcel of land identi ed as Lot 9864-A, Cad-452-D, Silang Cadastre, 2
situated in Barangay Tibig, Silang Cavite, and consisting of 71,324 square meters.
Malabanan claimed that he had purchased the property from Eduardo Velazco, 3 and
that he and his predecessors-in-interest had been in open, notorious, and continuous
adverse and peaceful possession of the land for more than thirty (30) years. HaSEcA
The application was ra ed to the Regional Trial Court of (RTC) Cavite-Tagaytay
City, Branch 18. The O ce of the Solicitor General (OSG) duly designated the Assistant
Provincial Prosecutor of Cavite, Jose Velazco, Jr., to appear on behalf of the State. 4
Apart from presenting documentary evidence, Malabanan himself and his witness,
originally belonged * to a twenty-two hectare property owned by his great-grandfather,
Lino Velazco. Lino had four sons — Benedicto, Gregorio, Eduardo and Esteban — the
fourth being Aristedes's grandfather. Upon Lino's death, his four sons inherited the
property and divided it among themselves. But by 1966, Esteban's wife, Magdalena,
had become the administrator of all the properties inherited by the Velazco sons from
their father, Lino. After the death of Esteban and Magdalena, their son Virgilio
succeeded them in administering the properties, including Lot 9864-A, which originally
belonged to his uncle, Eduardo Velazco. It was this property that was sold by Eduardo
Velazco to Malabanan. 5
Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Jose Velazco, Jr. did not cross-examine
Aristedes Velazco. He further manifested that he "also [knew] the property and I a rm
the truth of the testimony given by Mr. Velazco." 6 The Republic of the Philippines
likewise did not present any evidence to controvert the application.
Among the evidence presented by Malabanan during trial was a Certi cation
dated 11 June 2001, issued by the Community Environment & Natural Resources Office,
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO-DENR), which stated that
the subject property was "veri ed to be within the Alienable or Disposable land per
Land Classi cation Map No. 3013 established under Project No. 20-A and approved as
such under FAO 4-1656 on March 15, 1982 ." 7
On 3 December 2002, the RTC rendered judgment in favor of Malabanan, the
dispositive portion of which reads:
WHEREFORE, this Court hereby approves this application for registration
and thus places under the operation of Act 141, Act 496 and/or P.D. 1529,
otherwise known as Property Registration Law, the lands described in Plan Csd-
04-0173123-D, Lot 9864-A and containing an area of Seventy One Thousand
Three Hundred Twenty Four (71,324) Square Meters, as supported by its technical
description now forming part of the record of this case, in addition to other proofs
adduced in the name of MARIO MALABANAN, who is of legal age, Filipino,
widower, and with residence at Munting Ilog, Silang, Cavite.
HcDaAI
Once this Decision becomes nal and executory, the corresponding decree
of registration shall forthwith issue.
SO ORDERED.
The Republic interposed an appeal to the Court of Appeals, arguing that
Malabanan had failed to prove that the property belonged to the alienable and
disposable land of the public domain, and that the RTC had erred in nding that he had
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 been in possession of the property in the manner and for the length of time required by
law for confirmation of imperfect title.
On 23 February 2007, the Court of Appeals rendered a Decision 8 reversing the
RTC and dismissing the application of Malabanan. The appellate court held that under
Section 14 (1) of the Property Registration Decree any period of possession prior to
the classi cation of the lots as alienable and disposable was inconsequential and
should be excluded from the computation of the period of possession. Thus, the
appellate court noted that since the CENRO-DENR certi cation had veri ed that the
property was declared alienable and disposable only on 15 March 1982, the Velazcos'
possession prior to that date could not be factored in the computation of the period of
possession. This interpretation of the Court of Appeals of Section 14 (1) of the
Property Registration Decree was based on the Court's ruling in Republic v. Herbieto. 9
With respect to Section 14 (1), petitioners reiterate that the analysis of the Court
in Naguit is the correct interpretation of the provision. The seemingly contradictory
pronouncement in Herbieto, it is submitted, should be considered obiter dictum, since
the land registration proceedings therein was void ab initio due to lack of publication of
the notice of initial hearing. Petitioners further point out that in Republic v. Bibonia, 1 4
promulgated in June of 2007, the Court applied Naguit and adopted the same
observation that the preferred interpretation by the OSG of Section 14 (1) was patently
absurd. For its part, the OSG remains insistent that for Section 14 (1) to apply, the land
should have been classi ed as alienable and disposable as of 12 June 1945. Apart
from Herbieto, the OSG also cites the subsequent rulings in Buenaventura v. Republic,
1 5 Fieldman Agricultural Trading v. Republic 1 6 and Republic v. Imperial Credit
Corporation, 1 7 as well as the earlier case of Director of Lands v. Court of Appeals. 1 8 ACTEHI

Malabanan died while the case was pending with the Court of Appeals; 1 0 hence,
it was his heirs who appealed the decision of the appellate court. Petitioners, before
this Court, rely on our ruling in Republic v. Naguit, 1 1 which was handed down just four
months prior to Herbieto. Petitioners suggest that the discussion in Herbieto cited by
the Court of Appeals is actually obiter dictum since the Metropolitan Trial Court therein
which had directed the registration of the property had no jurisdiction in the rst place
since the requisite notice of hearing was published only after the hearing had already
begun. Naguit, petitioners argue, remains the controlling doctrine, especially when the
property in question is agricultural land. Therefore, with respect to agricultural lands,
any possession prior to the declaration of the alienable property as disposable may be
counted in reckoning the period of possession to perfect title under the Public Land Act
and the Property Registration Decree.
The petition was referred to the Court en banc, 1 2 and on 11 November 2008, the
case was heard on oral arguments. The Court formulated the principal issues for the
oral arguments, to wit: HICEca
1. In order that an alienable and disposable land of the public domain
may be registered under Section 14(1) of Presidential Decree No. 1529, otherwise
known as the Property Registration Decree, should the land be classi ed as
alienable and disposable as of June 12, 1945 or is it su cient that such
classi cation occur at any time prior to the ling of the applicant for registration
provided that it is established that the applicant has been in open, continuous,
exclusive and notorious possession of the land under a bona de claim of
ownership since June 12, 1945 or earlier?
understanding of the provision, reference has to be made to the Public Land Act.
With respect to Section 14 (2), petitioners submit that open, continuous,
exclusive and notorious possession of an alienable land of the public domain for more
than 30 years ipso jure converts the land into private property, thus placing it under the
coverage of Section 14 (2). According to them, it would not matter whether the land
sought to be registered was previously classi ed as agricultural land of the public
domain so long as, at the time of the application, the property had already been
"converted" into private property through prescription. To bolster their argument,
petitioners cite extensively from our 2008 ruling in Republic v. T.A.N. Properties. 1 9
The arguments submitted by the OSG with respect to Section 14 (2) are more
extensive. The OSG notes that under Article 1113 of the Civil Code, the acquisitive
prescription of properties of the State refers to "patrimonial property", while Section 14
(2) speaks of "private lands". It observes that the Court has yet to decide a case that
presented Section 14 (2) as a ground for application for registration, and that the 30-
year possession period refers to the period of possession under Section 48 (b) of the
Public Land Act, and not the concept of prescription under the Civil Code. The OSG
further submits that, assuming that the 30-year prescriptive period can run against
public lands, said period should be reckoned from the time the public land was
declared alienable and disposable.
Both sides likewise offer special arguments with respect to the particular factual
circumstances surrounding the subject property and the ownership thereof.
II.
First, we discuss Section 14 (1) of the Property Registration Decree. For a full
HSEIAT

2. For purposes of Section 14(2) of the Property Registration Decree

may a parcel of land classi ed as alienable and disposable be deemed private
land and therefore susceptible to acquisition by prescription in accordance with
the Civil Code?
3. May a parcel of land established as agricultural in character either
because of its use or because its slope is below that of forest lands be registrable
under Section 14(2) of the Property Registration Decree in relation to the
provisions of the Civil Code on acquisitive prescription?
4. Are petitioners entitled to the registration of the subject land in their
names under Section 14(1) or Section 14(2) of the Property Registration Decree or
both? 1 3
Based on these issues, the parties formulated their respective positions.
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A.
Commonwealth Act No. 141, also known as the Public Land Act, has, since its
enactment, governed the classi cation and disposition of lands of the public domain.
The President is authorized, from time to time, to classify the lands of the public
domain into alienable and disposable, timber, or mineral lands. 2 0 Alienable and
disposable lands of the public domain are further classi ed according to their uses into
(a) agricultural; (b) residential, commercial, industrial, or for similar productive
purposes; (c) educational, charitable, or other similar purposes; or (d) reservations for
town sites and for public and quasi-public uses. 2 1
May a private person validly seek the registration in his/her name of alienable and
disposable lands of the public domain? Section 11 of the Public Land Act
acknowledges that public lands suitable for agricultural purposes may be disposed of
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 "by con rmation of imperfect or incomplete titles" through "judicial legalization". 2 2
Section 48 (b) of the Public Land Act, as amended by P.D. No. 1073, supplies the
details and unmistakably grants that right, subject to the requisites stated therein:
Sec. 48. The following described citizens of the Philippines, occupying
lands of the public domain or claiming to own any such land or an interest
therein, but whose titles have not been perfected or completed, may apply to the
Court of First Instance of the province where the land is located for con rmation
of their claims and the issuance of a certi cate of title therefor, under the Land
Registration Act, to wit:
xxx xxx xxx
(b) Those who by themselves or through their predecessors in interest
have been in open, continuous, exclusive, and notorious possession and
occupation of alienable and disposable lands of the public domain, under a bona
de claim of acquisition of ownership, since June 12, 1945, or earlier,
immediately preceding the ling of the application for con rmation of title except
when prevented by war or force majeure. These shall be conclusively presumed to
have performed all the conditions essential to a Government grant and shall be
entitled to a certificate of title under the provisions of this chapter.
DEHcTI
Section 48 (b) of Com. Act No. 141 received its present wording in 1977 when
the law was amended by P.D. No. 1073. Two signi cant amendments were introduced
by P.D. No. 1073. First, the term "agricultural lands" was changed to "alienable and
disposable lands of the public domain". The OSG submits that this amendment
restricted the scope of the lands that may be registered. 2 3 This is not actually the
case. Under Section 9 of the Public Land Act, "agricultural lands" are a mere subset of
"lands of the public domain alienable or open to disposition." Evidently, alienable and
disposable lands of the public domain are a larger class than only "agricultural lands".
Second, the length of the requisite possession was changed from possession for
"thirty (30) years immediately preceding the ling of the application" to possession
"since June 12, 1945 or earlier". The Court in Naguit explained:
When the Public Land Act was rst promulgated in 1936, the period of
possession deemed necessary to vest the right to register their title to agricultural
lands of the public domain commenced from July 26, 1894. However, this period
was amended by R.A. No. 1942, which provided that the bona de claim of
ownership must have been for at least thirty (30) years. Then in 1977, Section
48(b) of the Public Land Act was again amended, this time by P.D. No. 1073,
which pegged the reckoning date at June 12, 1945. . . .
It bears further observation that Section 48 (b) of Com. Act No, 141 is virtually
the same as Section 14 (1) of the Property Registration Decree. Said Decree codi ed
the various laws relative to the registration of property, including lands of the public
domain. It is Section 14 (1) that operationalizes the registration of such lands of the
public domain. The provision reads:
SEC. 14. Who may apply. — The following persons may le in the
proper Court of First Instance an application for registration of title to land,
whether personally or through their duly authorized representatives:
(1) those who by themselves or through their predecessors-in-interest
have been in open, continuous, exclusive and notorious possession
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and occupation of alienable and disposable lands of the public
domain under a bona de claim of ownership since June 12, 1945,
or earlier.
SDTIaE
Notwithstanding the passage of the Property Registration Decree and the
inclusion of Section 14 (1) therein, the Public Land Act has remained in effect. Both
laws commonly refer to persons or their predecessors-in-interest who "have been in
open, continuous, exclusive and notorious possession and occupation of alienable and
disposable lands of the public domain under a bona fide claim of ownership since June
12, 1945, or earlier." That circumstance may have led to the impression that one or the
other is a redundancy, or that Section 48 (b) of the Public Land Act has somehow been
repealed or mooted. That is not the case.
The opening clauses of Section 48 of the Public Land Act and Section 14 of the
Property Registration Decree warrant comparison:
Sec. 48 [of the Public Land Act]. The following described citizens of the
Philippines, occupying lands of the public domain or claiming to own any such
land or an interest therein, but whose titles have not been perfected or completed,
may apply to the Court of First Instance of the province where the land is located
for con rmation of their claims and the issuance of a certi cate of title therefor,
under the Land Registration Act, to wit:
xxx xxx xxx
Sec. 14 [of the Property Registration Decree]. Who may apply. — The
following persons may le in the proper Court of First Instance an application for
registration of title to land, whether personally or through their duly authorized
representatives:
xxx xxx xxx
It is clear that Section 48 of the Public Land Act is more descriptive of the nature
of the right enjoyed by the possessor than Section 14 of the Property Registration
Decree, which seems to presume the pre-existence of the right, rather than establishing
the right itself for the rst time. It is proper to assert that it is the Public Land Act, as
amended by P.D. No. 1073 effective 25 January 1977, that has primarily established the
right of a Filipino citizen who has been "in open, continuous, exclusive, and notorious
possession and occupation of alienable and disposable lands of the public domain,
under a bona de claim of acquisition of ownership, since June 12, 1945" to perfect or
complete his title by applying with the proper court for the con rmation of his
ownership claim and the issuance of the corresponding certificate of title. DCSETa
Section 48 can be viewed in conjunction with the afore-quoted Section 11 of the
Public Land Act, which provides that public lands suitable for agricultural purposes may
be disposed of by con rmation of imperfect or incomplete titles, and given the notion
that both provisions declare that it is indeed the Public Land Act that primarily
establishes the substantive ownership of the possessor who has been in possession of
the property since 12 June 1945. In turn, Section 14 (a) of the Property Registration
Decree recognizes the substantive right granted under Section 48 (b) of the Public Land
Act, as well provides the corresponding original registration procedure for the judicial
confirmation of an imperfect or incomplete title.
There is another limitation to the right granted under Section 48 (b). Section 47
of the Public Land Act limits the period within which one may exercise the right to seek
registration under Section 48. The provision has been amended several times, most
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 recently by Rep. Act No. 9176 in 2002. It currently reads thus:
Section 47. The persons speci ed in the next following section are
hereby granted time, not to extend beyond December 31, 2020 within which to
avail of the bene ts of this Chapter: Provided, That this period shall apply only
where the area applied for does not exceed twelve (12) hectares: Provided, further,
That the several periods of time designated by the President in accordance with
Section Forty-Five of this Act shall apply also to the lands comprised in the
provisions of this Chapter, but this Section shall not be construed as prohibiting
any said persons from acting under this Chapter at any time prior to the period
fixed by the President. 2 4
Accordingly under the current state of the law, the substantive right granted
under Section 48 (b) may be availed of only until 31 December 2020.
B.
Despite the clear text of Section 48 (b) of the Public Land Act, as amended and
Section 14 (a) of the Property Registration Decree, the OSG has adopted the position
that for one to acquire the right to seek registration of an alienable and disposable land
of the public domain, it is not enough that the applicant and his/her predecessors-in-
interest be in possession under a bona fide claim of ownership since 12 June 1945; the
alienable and disposable character of the property must have been declared also as of
12 June 1945. Following the OSG's approach, all lands certi ed as alienable and
disposable after 12 June 1945 cannot be registered either under Section 14 (1) of the
Property Registration Decree or Section 48 (b) of the Public Land Act as amended. The
absurdity of such an implication was discussed in Naguit. EcTDCI
Petitioner suggests an interpretation that the alienable and disposable
character of the land should have already been established since June 12, 1945
or earlier. This is not borne out by the plain meaning of Section 14(1). "Since June
12, 1945", as used in the provision, quali es its antecedent phrase "under a
bona de claim of ownership". Generally speaking, qualifying words restrict or
modify only the words or phrases to which they are immediately associated, and
not those distantly or remotely located. 2 5 Ad proximum antecedents at relation
nisi impediatur sentencia.
Besides, we are mindful of the absurdity that would result if we adopt
petitioner's position. Absent a legislative amendment, the rule would be, adopting
the OSG's view, that all lands of the public domain which were not declared
alienable or disposable before June 12, 1945 would not be susceptible to original
registration, no matter the length of unchallenged possession by the occupant.
Such interpretation renders paragraph (1) of Section 14 virtually inoperative and
even precludes the government from giving it effect even as it decides to
reclassify public agricultural lands as alienable and disposable. The
unreasonableness of the situation would even be aggravated considering that
before June 12, 1945, the Philippines was not yet even considered an independent
state.
Accordingly, the Court in Naguit explained:
[T]he more reasonable interpretation of Section 14(1) is that it merely
requires the property sought to be registered as already alienable and disposable
at the time the application for registration of title is led. If the State, at the time
the application is made, has not yet deemed it proper to release the property for
alienation or disposition, the presumption is that the government is still reserving
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the right to utilize the property; hence, the need to preserve its ownership in the
State irrespective of the length of adverse possession even if in good faith.
However, if the property has already been classi ed as alienable and disposable,
as it is in this case, then there is already an intention on the part of the State to
abdicate its exclusive prerogative over the property.EIcSTD
The Court declares that the correct interpretation of Section 14 (1) is that which
was adopted in Naguit. The contrary pronouncement in Herbieto, as pointed out in
Naguit, absurdly limits the application of the provision to the point of virtual inutility
since it would only cover lands actually declared alienable and disposable prior to 12
June 1945, even if the current possessor is able to establish open, continuous,
exclusive and notorious possession under a bona de claim of ownership long before
that date.
Moreover, the Naguit interpretation allows more possessors under a bona de
claim of ownership to avail of judicial con rmation of their imperfect titles than what
would be feasible under Herbieto. This balancing fact is signi cant, especially
considering our forthcoming discussion on the scope and reach of Section 14 (2) of
the Property Registration Decree.
Petitioners make the salient observation that the contradictory passages from
Herbieto are obiter dicta since the land registration proceedings therein is void ab initio
in the rst place due to lack of the requisite publication of the notice of initial hearing.
There is no need to explicitly overturn Herbieto, as it su ces that the Court's
acknowledgment that the particular line of argument used therein concerning Section
14 (1) is indeed obiter.
It may be noted that in the subsequent case of Buenaventura, 2 6 the Court, citing
Herbieto, again stated that "[a]ny period of possession prior to the date when the
[s]ubject [property was] classi ed as alienable and disposable is inconsequential and
should be excluded from the computation of the period of possession. . ." That
statement, in the context of Section 14 (1), is certainly erroneous. Nonetheless, the
passage as cited in Buenaventura should again be considered as obiter. The application
therein was ultimately granted, citing Section 14 (2). The evidence submitted by
petitioners therein did not establish any mode of possession on their part prior to
1948, thereby precluding the application of Section 14 (1). It is not even apparent from
the decision whether petitioners therein had claimed entitlement to original registration
following Section 14 (1), their position being that they had been in exclusive possession
under a bona de claim of ownership for over fty (50) years, but not before 12 June
1945. aCHDST
Thus, neither Herbieto nor its principal discipular ruling Buenaventura has any
precedental value with respect to Section 14 (1). On the other hand, the ratio of Naguit
is embedded in Section 14 (1), since it precisely involved situation wherein the
applicant had been in exclusive possession under a bona de claim of ownership prior
to 12 June 1945. The Court's interpretation of Section 14 (1) therein was decisive to
the resolution of the case. Any doubt as to which between Naguit or Herbieto provides
the final word of the Court on Section 14 (1) is now settled in favor of Naguit.
We noted in Naguit that it should be distinguished from Bracewell v. Court of
Appeals 2 7 since in the latter, the application for registration had been led before the
land was declared alienable or disposable. The dissent though pronounces Bracewell
as the better rule between the two. Yet two years after Bracewell, its ponente, the
esteemed Justice Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, penned the ruling in Republic v. Ceniza, 2 8
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 which involved a claim of possession that extended back to 1927 over a public domain
land that was declared alienable and disposable only in 1980. Ceniza cited Bracewell,
quoted extensively from it, and following the mindset of the dissent, the attempt at
registration in Ceniza should have failed. Not so.
To prove that the land subject of an application for registration is
alienable, an applicant must establish the existence of a positive act of the
government such as a presidential proclamation or an executive order; an
administrative action; investigation reports of Bureau of Lands investigators; and
a legislative act or a statute.
In this case, private respondents presented a certi cation dated November
25, 1994, issued by Eduardo M. Inting, the Community Environment and Natural
Resources O cer in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
O ce in Cebu City, stating that the lots involved were "found to be within the
alienable and disposable (sic) Block-I, Land Classi cation Project No. 32-A, per
map 2962 4-I555 dated December 9, 1980". This is su cient evidence to show
the real character of the land subject of private respondents' application. Further,
the certi cation enjoys a presumption of regularity in the absence of
contradictory evidence, which is true in this case. Worth noting also was the
observation of the Court of Appeals stating that:
[n]o opposition was led by the Bureaus of Lands and Forestry to
contest the application of appellees on the ground that the property still
forms part of the public domain. Nor is there any showing that the lots in
question are forestal land. . . .
IDASHa
Thus, while the Court of Appeals erred in ruling that mere possession of
public land for the period required by law would entitle its occupant to a
con rmation of imperfect title, it did not err in ruling in favor of private
respondents as far as the rst requirement in Section 48(b) of the Public Land Act
is concerned, for they were able to overcome the burden of proving the alienability
of the land subject of their application.
As correctly found by the Court of Appeals, private respondents were able
to prove their open, continuous, exclusive and notorious possession of the subject
land even before the year 1927. As a rule, we are bound by the factual ndings of
the Court of Appeals. Although there are exceptions, petitioner did not show that
this is one of them. 2 9
Why did the Court in Ceniza, through the same eminent member who authored
Bracewell, sanction the registration under Section 48 (b) of public domain lands
declared alienable or disposable thirty- ve (35) years and 180 days after 12 June
1945? The telling difference is that in Ceniza, the application for registration was led
nearly six (6) years after the land had been declared alienable or disposable, while in
Bracewell, the application was led nine (9) years before the land was declared
alienable or disposable . That crucial difference was also stressed in Naguit to
contradistinguish it from Bracewell, a difference which the dissent seeks to belittle.
III.
We next ascertain the correct framework of analysis with respect to Section 14
(2). The provision reads:
SEC. 14. Who may apply. — The following persons may le in the
proper Court of First Instance an application for registration of title to land,
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whether personally or through their duly authorized representatives:
xxx xxx xxx
(2) Those who have acquired ownership over private lands by
prescription under the provisions of existing laws.
The Court in Naguit offered the following discussion concerning Section 14 (2),
which we did even then recognize, and still do, to be an obiter dictum, but we
nonetheless refer to it as material for further discussion, thus:
Did the enactment of the Property Registration Decree and the amendatory
P.D. No. 1073 preclude the application for registration of alienable lands of the
public domain, possession over which commenced only after June 12, 1945? It
did not, considering Section 14(2) of the Property Registration Decree, which
governs and authorizes the application of "those who have acquired ownership of
private lands by prescription under the provisions of existing laws." DEcSaI
Prescription is one of the modes of acquiring ownership under the Civil
Code. [ 3 0 ] There is a consistent jurisprudential rule that properties classi ed as
alienable public land may be converted into private property by reason of open,
continuous and exclusive possession of at least thirty (30) years. [ 3 1 ] With such
conversion, such property may now fall within the contemplation of "private
lands" under Section 14(2), and thus susceptible to registration by those who
have acquired ownership through prescription. Thus, even if possession of the
alienable public land commenced on a date later than June 12, 1945, and such
possession being been open, continuous and exclusive, then the possessor may
have the right to register the land by virtue of Section 14(2) of the Property
Registration Decree.
Naguit did not involve the application of Section 14 (2), unlike in this case where
petitioners have based their registration bid primarily on that provision, and where the
evidence de nitively establishes their claim of possession only as far back as 1948. It
is in this case that we can properly appreciate the nuances of the provision.
A.
The obiter in Naguit cited the Civil Code provisions on prescription as the
possible basis for application for original registration under Section 14 (2). Speci cally,
it is Article 1113 which provides legal foundation for the application. It reads:
All things which are within the commerce of men are susceptible of
prescription, unless otherwise provided. Property of the State or any of its
subdivisions not patrimonial in character shall not be the object of prescription.
It is clear under the Civil Code that where lands of the public domain are
patrimonial in character, they are susceptible to acquisitive prescription. On the other
hand, among the public domain lands that are not susceptible to acquisitive
prescription are timber lands and mineral lands. The Constitution itself proscribes
private ownership of timber or mineral lands. caTESD
There are in fact several provisions in the Civil Code concerning the acquisition of
real property through prescription. Ownership of real property may be acquired by
ordinary prescription of ten (10) years, 3 2 or through extraordinary prescription of thirty
(30) years. 3 3 Ordinary acquisitive prescription requires possession in good faith, 3 4 as
well as just title. 3 5
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 When Section 14 (2) of the Property Registration Decree explicitly provides that
persons "who have acquired ownership over private lands by prescription under the
provisions of existing laws", it unmistakably refers to the Civil Code as a valid basis for
the registration of lands. The Civil Code is the only existing law that speci cally allows
the acquisition by prescription of private lands, including patrimonial property
belonging to the State. Thus, the critical question that needs a rmation is whether
Section 14 (2) does encompass original registration proceedings over patrimonial
property of the State, which a private person has acquired through prescription.
The Naguit obiter had adverted to a frequently reiterated jurisprudence holding
that properties classi ed as alienable public land may be converted into private
property by reason of open, continuous and exclusive possession of at least thirty (30)
years . 3 6 Yet if we ascertain the source of the "thirty-year" period, additional
complexities relating to Section 14 (2) and to how exactly it operates would emerge.
For there are in fact two distinct origins of the thirty (30)-year rule .
The rst source is Rep. Act No. 1942, enacted in 1957, which amended Section
48 (b) of the Public Land Act by granting the right to seek original registration of
alienable public lands through possession in the concept of an owner for at least thirty
years.
The following-described citizens of the Philippines, occupying lands of the
public domain or claiming to own any such lands or an interest therein, but whose
titles have not been perfected or completed, may apply to the Court of First
Instance of the province where the land is located for con rmation of their claims
and the issuance of a certi cate of title therefor, under the Land Registration Act,
to wit:
TDCaSE
xxx xxx xxx
(b) Those who by themselves or through their predecessors in interest
have been in open, continuous, exclusive and notorious possession and
occupation of agricultural lands of the public domain, under a bona de claim of
acquisition of ownership, for at least thirty years immediately preceding
the ling of the application for con rmation of title , except when
prevented by war or force majeure. These shall be conclusively presumed to have
performed all the conditions essential to a Government grant and shall be entitled
to a certi cate of title under the provisions of this Chapter. (emphasis supplied)
37
This provision was repealed in 1977 with the enactment of P.D. 1073, which
made the date 12 June 1945 the reckoning point for the rst time. Nonetheless,
applications for registration led prior to 1977 could have invoked the 30-year rule
introduced by Rep. Act No. 1942.
The second source is Section 14 (2) of P.D. 1529 itself, at least by implication, as
it applies the rules on prescription under the Civil Code, particularly Article 1113 in
relation to Article 1137. Note that there are two kinds of prescription under the Civil
Code — ordinary acquisitive prescription and extraordinary acquisitive prescription,
which, under Article 1137, is completed "through uninterrupted adverse possession. . .
for thirty years, without need of title or of good faith".
Obviously, the rst source of the thirty (30)-year period rule, Rep. Act No. 1942,
became unavailable after 1977. At present, the only legal basis for the thirty (30)-year
period is the law on prescription under the Civil Code, as mandated under Section 14
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(2). However, there is a material difference between how the thirty (30)-year rule
operated under Rep. Act No. 1942 and how it did under the Civil Code.
Section 48 (b) of the Public Land Act, as amended by Rep. Act No. 1942, did not
refer to or call into application the Civil Code provisions on prescription. It merely set
forth a requisite thirty-year possession period immediately preceding the application
for con rmation of title, without any quali cation as to whether the property should be
declared alienable at the beginning of, and continue as such, throughout the entire thirty
(30) years. There is neither statutory nor jurisprudential basis to assert Rep. Act No.
1942 had mandated such a requirement, 3 8 similar to our earlier nding with respect to
the present language of Section 48 (b), which now sets 12 June 1945 as the point of
reference.
Then, with the repeal of Rep. Act No. 1942, the thirty-year possession period as
basis for original registration became Section 14 (2) of the Property Registration
Decree, which entitled those "who have acquired ownership over private lands by
prescription under the provisions of existing laws" to apply for original registration.
Again, the thirty-year period is derived from the rule on extraordinary prescription under
Article 1137 of the Civil Code. At the same time, Section 14 (2) puts into operation the
entire regime of prescription under the Civil Code, a fact which does not hold true with
respect to Section 14 (1).
B.
Unlike Section 14 (1), Section 14 (2) explicitly refers to the principles on
prescription under existing laws. Accordingly, we are impelled to apply the civil law
concept of prescription, as set forth in the Civil Code, in our interpretation of Section 14
(2). There is no similar demand on our part in the case of Section 14 (1).
DSHTaC
The critical quali cation under Article 1113 of the Civil Code is thus: "[p]roperty
of the State or any of its subdivisions not patrimonial in character shall not be the
object of prescription". The identi cation what consists of patrimonial property is
provided by Articles 420 and 421, which we quote in full:
Art. 420. The following things are property of public dominion:
(1) Those intended for public use, such as roads, canals, rivers,
torrents, ports and bridges constructed by the State, banks, shores, roadsteads,
and others of similar character;
(2) Those which belong to the State, without being for public use, and
are intended for some public service or for the development of the national
wealth.
Art. 421. All other property of the State, which is not of the character
stated in the preceding article, is patrimonial property.
It is clear that property of public dominion, which generally includes property
belonging to the State, cannot be the object of prescription or, indeed, be subject of the
commerce of man. 3 9 Lands of the public domain, whether declared alienable and
disposable or not, are property of public dominion and thus insusceptible to acquisition
by prescription.
Let us now explore the effects under the Civil Code of a declaration by the
President or any duly authorized government o cer of alienability and disposability of
lands of the public domain. Would such lands so declared alienable and disposable be
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 converted, under the Civil Code, from property of the public dominion into patrimonial
property? After all, by connotative de nition, alienable and disposable lands may be the
object of the commerce of man; Article 1113 provides that all things within the
commerce of man are susceptible to prescription; and the same provision further
provides that patrimonial property of the State may be acquired by prescription. IEcDCa
Nonetheless, Article 422 of the Civil Code states that "[p]roperty of public
dominion, when no longer intended for public use or for public service, shall form part
of the patrimonial property of the State". It is this provision that controls how public
dominion property may be converted into patrimonial property susceptible to
acquisition by prescription. After all, Article 420 (2) makes clear that those property
"which belong to the State, without being for public use, and are intended for some
public service or for the development of the national wealth" are public dominion
property. For as long as the property belongs to the State, although already classi ed
as alienable or disposable, it remains property of the public dominion if when * it is
"intended for some public service or for the development of the national wealth".
Accordingly, there must be an express declaration by the State that the
public dominion property is no longer intended for public service or the
development of the national wealth or that the property has been converted
into patrimonial. Without such express declaration, the property, even if
classi ed as alienable or disposable, remains property of the public
dominion, pursuant to Article 420 (2), and thus incapable of acquisition by
prescription. It is only when such alienable and disposable lands are
expressly declared by the State to be no longer intended for public service or
for the development of the national wealth that the period of acquisitive
prescription can begin to run. Such declaration shall be in the form of a law
duly enacted by Congress or a Presidential Proclamation in cases where the
President is duly authorized by law.
It is comprehensible with ease that this reading of Section 14 (2) of the Property
Registration Decree limits its scope and reach and thus affects the registrability even of
lands already declared alienable and disposable to the detriment of the bona de
possessors or occupants claiming title to the lands. Yet this interpretation is in accord
with the Regalian doctrine and its concomitant assumption that all lands owned by the
State, although declared alienable or disposable, remain as such and ought to be used
only by the Government.
Recourse does not lie with this Court in the matter. The duty of the Court is to
apply the Constitution and the laws in accordance with their language and intent. The
remedy is to change the law, which is the province of the legislative branch. Congress
can very well be entreated to amend Section 14 (2) of the Property Registration Decree
and pertinent provisions of the Civil Code to liberalize the requirements for judicial
confirmation of imperfect or incomplete titles. aATEDS
The operation of the foregoing interpretation can be illustrated by an actual
example. Republic Act No. 7227, entitled "An Act Accelerating The Conversion Of
Military Reservations Into Other Productive Uses, etc.", is more commonly known as the
BCDA law. Section 2 of the law authorizes the sale of certain military reservations and
portions of military camps in Metro Manila, including Fort Bonifacio and Villamor Air
Base. For purposes of effecting the sale of the military camps, the law mandates the
President to transfer such military lands to the Bases Conversion Development
Authority (BCDA) 4 0 which in turn is authorized to own, hold and/or administer them. 4 1
The President is authorized to sell portions of the military camps, in whole or in part. 4 2
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Accordingly, the BCDA law itself declares that the military lands subject thereof are
"alienable and disposable pursuant to the provisions of existing laws and regulations
governing sales of government properties." 4 3
From the moment the BCDA law was enacted the subject military lands have
become alienable and disposable. However, said lands did not become patrimonial, as
the BCDA law itself expressly makes the reservation that these lands are to be sold in
order to raise funds for the conversion of the former American bases at Clark and
Subic. 4 4 Such purpose can be tied to either "public service" or "the development of
national wealth" under Article 420 (2). Thus, at that time, the lands remained property of
the public dominion under Article 420 (2), notwithstanding their status as alienable and
disposable. It is upon their sale as authorized under the BCDA law to a private person or
entity that such lands become private property and cease to be property of the public
dominion.
C.
Should public domain lands become patrimonial because they are declared as
such in a duly enacted law or duly promulgated proclamation that they are no longer
intended for public service or for the development of the national wealth, would the
period of possession prior to the conversion of such public dominion into patrimonial
be reckoned in counting the prescriptive period in favor of the possessors? We rule in
the negative.
The limitation imposed by Article 1113 dissuades us from ruling that the period
of possession before the public domain land becomes patrimonial may be counted for
the purpose of completing the prescriptive period. Possession of public dominion
property before it becomes patrimonial cannot be the object of prescription according
to the Civil Code. As the application for registration under Section 14 (2) falls wholly
within the framework of prescription under the Civil Code, there is no way that
possession during the time that the land was still classi ed as public dominion
property can be counted to meet the requisites of acquisitive prescription and justify
registration. EHTSCD
Are we being inconsistent in applying divergent rules for Section 14 (1) and
Section 14 (2)? There is no inconsistency. Section 14 (1) mandates registration on
the basis of possession , while Section 14 (2) entitles registration on the
basis of prescription . Registration under Section 14 (1) is extended under the
aegis of the Property Registration Decree and the Public Land Act while
registration under Section 14 (2) is made available both by the Property
Registration Decree and the Civil Code .
In the same manner, we can distinguish between the thirty-year period under
Section 48 (b) of the Public Land Act, as amended by Rep. Act No. 1472, and the thirty-
year period available through Section 14 (2) of the Property Registration Decree in
relation to Article 1137 of the Civil Code. The period under the former speaks of a
thirty-year period of possession , while the period under the latter concerns a
thirty-year period of extraordinary prescription . Registration under Section 48
(b) of the Public Land Act as amended by Rep. Act No. 1472 is based on
thirty years of possession alone without regard to the Civil Code, while the
registration under Section 14 (2) of the Property Registration Decree is
founded on extraordinary prescription under the Civil Code.
It may be asked why the principles of prescription under the Civil Code should
not apply as well to Section 14 (1). Notwithstanding the vaunted status of the Civil
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 Code, it ultimately is just one of numerous statutes, neither superior nor inferior to other
statutes such as the Property Registration Decree. The legislative branch is not bound
to adhere to the framework set forth by the Civil Code when it enacts subsequent
legislation. Section 14 (2) manifests a clear intent to interrelate the registration allowed
under that provision with the Civil Code, but no such intent exists with respect to
Section 14 (1).
IV.
One of the keys to understanding the framework we set forth today is seeing
how our land registration procedures correlate with our law on prescription, which,
under the Civil Code, is one of the modes for acquiring ownership over property.
The Civil Code makes it clear that patrimonial property of the State may be
acquired by private persons through prescription. This is brought about by Article 1113,
which states that "[a]ll things which are within the commerce of man are susceptible to
prescription", and that [p]roperty of the State or any of its subdivisions not patrimonial
in character shall not be the object of prescription".
There are two modes of prescription through which immovables may be
acquired under the Civil Code. The rst is ordinary acquisitive prescription, which, under
Article 1117, requires possession in good faith and with just title; and, under Article
1134, is completed through possession of ten (10) years. There is nothing in the Civil
Code that bars a person from acquiring patrimonial property of the State through
ordinary acquisitive prescription, nor is there any apparent reason to impose such a
rule. At the same time, there are indispensable requisites — good faith and just title. The
ascertainment of good faith involves the application of Articles 526, 527, and 528, as
well as Article 1127 of the Civil Code, 4 5 provisions that more or less speak for
themselves.
On the other hand, the concept of just title requires some clari cation. Under
Article 1129, there is just title for the purposes of prescription "when the adverse
claimant came into possession of the property through one of the modes recognized
by law for the acquisition of ownership or other real rights, but the grantor was not the
owner or could not transmit any right". Dr. Tolentino explains: ITCcAD
Just title is an act which has for its purpose the transmission of ownership,
and which would have actually transferred ownership if the grantor had been the
owner. This vice or defect is the one cured by prescription. Examples: sale with
delivery, exchange, donation, succession, and dation in payment. 4 6
The OSG submits that the requirement of just title necessarily precludes the
applicability of ordinary acquisitive prescription to patrimonial property. The major
premise for the argument is that "the State, as the owner and grantor, could not
transmit ownership to the possessor before the completion of the required period of
possession". 4 7 It is evident that the OSG erred when it assumed that the grantor
referred to in Article 1129 is the State. The grantor is the one from whom the person
invoking ordinary acquisitive prescription derived the title, whether by sale, exchange,
donation, succession or any other mode of the acquisition of ownership or other real
rights. SIEHcA
Earlier, we made it clear that, whether under ordinary prescription or
extraordinary prescription, the period of possession preceding the classi cation of
public dominion lands as patrimonial cannot be counted for the purpose of computing
prescription. But after the property has been become patrimonial, the period of
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prescription begins to run in favor of the possessor. Once the requisite period has been
completed, two legal events ensue: (1) the patrimonial property is ipso jure converted
into private land; and (2) the person in possession for the periods prescribed under the
Civil Code acquires ownership of the property by operation of the Civil Code.
It is evident that once the possessor automatically becomes the owner of the
converted patrimonial property, the ideal next step is the registration of the property
under the Torrens system. It should be remembered that registration of property is not
a mode of acquisition of ownership, but merely a mode of con rmation of ownership.
48
Looking back at the registration regime prior to the adoption of the Property
Registration Decree in 1977, it is apparent that the registration system then did not fully
accommodate the acquisition of ownership of patrimonial property under the Civil
Code. What the system accommodated was the con rmation of imperfect title brought
about by the completion of a period of possession ordained under the Public Land Act
(either 30 years following Rep. Act No. 1942, or since 12 June 1945 following P.D. No.
1073).
The Land Registration Act 4 9 was noticeably silent on the requisites for alienable
public lands acquired through ordinary prescription under the Civil Code, though it
arguably did not preclude such registration. 5 0 Still, the gap was lamentable,
considering that the Civil Code, by itself, establishes ownership over the patrimonial
property of persons who have completed the prescriptive periods ordained therein. The
gap was nally closed with the adoption of the Property Registration Decree in 1977,
with Section 14 (2) thereof expressly authorizing original registration in favor of
persons who have acquired ownership over private lands by prescription under the
provisions of existing laws, that is, the Civil Code as of now. AcDaEH
V.
We synthesize the doctrines laid down in this case, as follows:
(1) In connection with Section 14 (1) of the Property Registration Decree,
Section 48 (b) of the Public Land Act recognizes and con rms that "those who by
themselves or through their predecessors in interest have been in open, continuous,
exclusive, and notorious possession and occupation of alienable and disposable lands
of the public domain, under a bona de claim of acquisition of ownership, since June
12, 1945" have acquired ownership of, and registrable title to, such lands based on the
length and quality of their possession.
(a) Since Section 48 (b) merely requires possession since 12 June 1945
and does not require that the lands should have been alienable and
disposable during the entire period of possession, the possessor is
entitled to secure judicial confirmation of his title thereto as soon as it
is declared alienable and disposable, subject to the timeframe
imposed by Section 47 of the Public Land Act. 5 1
(b) The right to register granted under Section 48 (b) of the Public Land
Act is further con rmed by Section 14 (1) of the Property Registration
Decree.
(2) In complying with Section 14 (2) of the Property Registration Decree,
consider that under the Civil Code, prescription is recognized as a mode of acquiring
ownership of patrimonial property. However, public domain lands become only
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 patrimonial property not only with a declaration that these are alienable or disposable.
There must also be an express government manifestation that the property is already
patrimonial or no longer retained for public service or the development of national
wealth, under Article 422 of the Civil Code. And only when the property has become
patrimonial can the prescriptive period for the acquisition of property of the public
dominion begin to run.
(a) Patrimonial property is private property of the government. The
person acquires ownership of patrimonial property by prescription
under the Civil Code is entitled to secure registration thereof under
Section 14 (2) of the Property Registration Decree.
(b) There are two kinds of prescription by which patrimonial property
may be acquired, one ordinary and other extraordinary. Under ordinary
acquisitive prescription, a person acquires ownership of a patrimonial
property through possession for at least ten (10) years, in good faith
and with just title. Under extraordinary acquisitive prescription, a
person's uninterrupted adverse possession of patrimonial property
for at least thirty (30) years, regardless of good faith or just title,
ripens into ownership.
B.
We now apply the above-stated doctrines to the case at bar.
It is clear that the evidence of petitioners is insu cient to establish that
Malabanan has acquired ownership over the subject property under Section 48 (b) of
the Public Land Act. There is no substantive evidence to establish that Malabanan or
petitioners as his predecessors-in-interest have been in possession of the property
since 12 June 1945 or earlier. The earliest that petitioners can date back their
possession, according to their own evidence — the Tax Declarations they presented in
particular — is to the year 1948. Thus, they cannot avail themselves of registration
under Section 14 (1) of the Property Registration Decree. EaCDAT
Neither can petitioners properly invoke Section 14 (2) as basis for registration.
While the subject property was declared as alienable or disposable in 1982, there is no
competent evidence that is no longer intended for public use service or for the
development of the national evidence, conformably with Article 422 of the Civil Code.
The classi cation of the subject property as alienable and disposable land of the public
domain does not change its status as property of the public dominion under Article 420
(2) of the Civil Code. Thus, it is insusceptible to acquisition by prescription.
VI.
A nal word. The Court is comfortable with the correctness of the legal doctrines
established in this decision. Nonetheless, discom ture over the implications of today's
ruling cannot be discounted. For, every untitled property that is occupied in the country
will be affected by this ruling. The social implications cannot be dismissed lightly, and
the Court would be abdicating its social responsibility to the Filipino people if we
simply levied the law without comment.
The informal settlement of public lands, whether declared alienable or not, is a
phenomenon tied to long-standing habit and cultural acquiescence, and is common
among the so-called "Third World" countries. This paradigm powerfully evokes the
disconnect between a legal system and the reality on the ground. The law so far has
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been unable to bridge that gap. Alternative means of acquisition of these public domain
lands, such as through homestead or free patent, have proven unattractive due to
limitations imposed on the grantee in the encumbrance or alienation of said properties.
5 2 Judicial con rmation of imperfect title has emerged as the most viable, if not the
most attractive means to regularize the informal settlement of alienable or disposable
lands of the public domain, yet even that system, as revealed in this decision, has
considerable limits.
There are millions upon millions of Filipinos who have individually or exclusively
held residential lands on which they have lived and raised their families. Many more
have tilled and made productive idle lands of the State with their hands. They have been
regarded for generation by their families and their communities as common law
owners. There is much to be said about the virtues of according them legitimate states.
Yet such virtues are not for the Court to translate into positive law, as the law itself
considered such lands as property of the public dominion. It could only be up to
Congress to set forth a new phase of land reform to sensibly regularize and formalize
the settlement of such lands which in legal theory are lands of the public domain before
the problem becomes insoluble. This could be accomplished, to cite two examples, by
liberalizing the standards for judicial con rmation of imperfect title, or amending the
Civil Code itself to ease the requisites for the conversion of public dominion property
into patrimonial.
One's sense of security over land rights infuses into every aspect of well-being
not only of that individual, but also to the person's family. Once that sense of security is
deprived, life and livelihood are put on stasis. It is for the political branches to bring
welcome closure to the long pestering problem.
caHIAS
WHEREFORE , the Petition is DENIED . The Decision of the Court of Appeals
dated 23 February 2007 and Resolution dated 2 October 2007 are AFFIRMED . No
pronouncement as to costs.
SO ORDERED .
Ynares-Santiago, Carpio, Austria-Martinez, Carpio Morales, Velasco, Jr., Nachura,
Peralta and Bersamin, JJ., concur.
Puno, C.J., joins J. Nazario.
Quisumbing, J., is on official business.
Corona, J., joins the dissent of Mr. Justice Brion.
Chico-Nazario, J., Pls. see Concurring & Dissenting Opinion.
Leonardo-de Castro, J., joins the concurring and dissenting opinion of Justice
Nazario.
Brion, J., dissents — see Opinion.
Separate Opinions
CHICO-NAZARIO , J., concurring and dissenting :
I concur in the majority opinion in dismissing the application for registration of a
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