Balbin v.

Register of Deeds of Ilocos Sur, 28 SCRA 12 (1969) FACTS: Petitioners presented to the register of deeds of Ilocos Sur a duplicate copy of the registered owners (Cornelio Balbin) certificate of title (OCT No. 548) and an instrument Deed of Donation inter vivos with the request that the same be annotated on the title. Said instrument indicates that registered owner Balbin donated 2/3 of the land described in said title in favor of petitioners. Register of deeds denied annotation for being legally defective. Prior annotations in said title indicate 3 separate sales executed by Balbin on the same land in favor of 3 different buyers. Additional memo in annotations: that three co-owners duplicates of title have been issued. Register of deeds denied request for annotation because of petitioners failure to present three other copies of said title. Land Registration Commissioner upheld denial. Hence this appeal. ISSUE: W/N LRC is correct in denying request for annotation HELD & RATIO: Yes. Pursuant to Sec 55 of Act 496, there should be only one duplicate of the title in question that of the registered owner himself. And if ever there be duplicates of the original issued, all issued must contain identical entries of transactions affecting the land covered by the title. If different copies were permitted to carry differing annotations, the whole system of Torrens registration would cease to be reliable.