G.R. No. L-24717 December 4, 1967
J. M. TUASON & CO., INC., petitioner, vs. HON. GUILLERMO E. TORRES, Presiding Judge of the Court of First Instance of Rizal, Branch III, MACARIA FULGENCIO, PLACIDO PASCUAL, ET AL., respondents. SIMEON F. MONZON, RAYMUNDO FAMILARA, TOMAS ALARCON and SERAFIN DE LA CRUZ, intervenors.

FACTS

Prior to 1953, the Deudors and their vendees (including respondents) and the Tuasons were disputing ownership and possession of about 50 quiñones of land in Tatalon, Quezon City, in five cases. On March 16, 1953, they entered into a Compromise Agreement wherein the Deudors and vendees recognized Tuasons’ ownership over the lands and, for a consideration of P1,201,063.00 payable in installments, agreed to vacate and deliver the land. The Court of First Instance of Rizal, Branch IV, Quezon City, approved this agreement on April 10, 1953, declaring the Tuasons as absolute owners. This decision became final and executory. However, not all 50 quiñones were delivered. On February 28, 1957, the trial court gave the Deudors four months to clear and deliver peaceful possession of the remaining 30 quiñones, which the Supreme Court sustained on appeal. Subsequently, the Deudors and vendees filed Civil Case No. 49657 on February 16, 1962, in the Court of First Instance of Manila to annul the Compromise Agreement for alleged fraud and recover the 20 quiñones already delivered. This was dismissed for improper venue and lack of cause of action, a dismissal sustained by the Supreme Court. The Deudors then filed Civil Case No. 8080 on March 13, 1964, in the Court of First Instance of Pasig to recover the 20 quiñones, annul Tuasons’ certificates of title, and nullify and enjoin the execution of the April 10, 1953 decision. On January 18, 1965, Branch II of the Court of First Instance of Quezon City, in Civil Cases 3621-3623, declared the land registration proceedings and Tuasons’ titles over the 50 quiñones null and void (pending appeal). On February 11, 1965, respondents (Fulgencio and other Deudor vendees) instituted Civil Case No. 8559 in the Court of First Instance of Pasig, seeking to be declared owners of the 50 quiñones, to annul and enjoin the execution of the April 10, 1953 decision, to compel Tuasons to vacate and render an accounting, and to declare Tuasons’ titles null and void. The Tuasons moved to dismiss, alleging lack of jurisdiction of the Pasig court to annul a final decision of a Quezon City branch. The lower court denied the motion and issued preliminary injunctions in favor of intervenors. The Tuasons then filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition with the Supreme Court to prevent the Pasig court from acting in Civil Case No. 8559.

ISSUE

Whether the Court of First Instance of Rizal, sitting at Pasig (Branch III), has jurisdiction to annul and enjoin the execution of a final decision rendered by Branch IV of the Court of First Instance of Rizal, sitting at Quezon City.

RULING

No. The Supreme Court granted the petition for certiorari and prohibition. It held that the jurisdiction to annul a judgment of a branch of the Court of First Instance belongs solely to the very same branch which rendered the judgment. Any other branch, even within the same judicial district, that attempts to do so either exceeds its jurisdiction or acts with grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack of jurisdiction. Citing Cabigao v. Del Rosario, P.N.B. v. Javellana, and Mas v. Dumara-og, the Court ruled that certiorari and prohibition are proper to prevent a coordinate branch from proceeding to nullify a final decision of a co-equal branch. The Court further found no need for Civil Case No. 8559 to pend, as respondents’ bases for nullification were unmeritorious: (1) The Compromise Agreement was not totally rescinded; only the Tuasons’ obligation to make further payments was rescinded per prior Supreme Court rulings, while the rest of the agreement remained valid. (2) The alleged nullity of Tuasons’ titles does not affect the decision, as its basis was the Compromise Agreement wherein the Deudors and respondents acknowledged Tuasons’ titles. The Court ordered the Court of First Instance of Rizal, Pasig, to permanently desist from taking cognizance of Civil Case No. 8559 and made the preliminary injunction permanent.