G.R. No. L-5701, December 4, 1911
MARCELA GONZALES, petitioner-appellant, vs. THE INSULAR GOVERNMENT, GUILLERMO CRISOSTOMO and ISABEL ANGELO, opponents-appellees.

FACTS

Marcela Gonzales filed a petition for land registration over three parcels of land in Calumpit, Bulacan, based on a purchase from the heirs of Eulogio Revilla. Revilla had acquired the lands through an execution sale in 1880 and subsequent court-ordered possession. The Insular Government opposed, claiming the lands were part of the public domain, while Guillermo Crisostomo and Isabel Angelo opposed, asserting ownership over portions of the land. The trial court sustained the oppositions of Crisostomo and Angelo, ruling that Revilla’s possession of two parcels (in Umanat and Tumama) was unauthorized and that the Spanish title granted to him in 1889 was invalid due to lack of the required periods of possession. Gonzales appealed the decision favoring the private oppositors.

ISSUE

Whether the trial court erred in sustaining the oppositions of Crisostomo and Angelo, thereby denying registration of the disputed portions to Gonzales.

RULING

Yes, the trial court erred. The Supreme Court reversed the judgment and ordered the registration of the lands in favor of Gonzales. The Court found that Revilla had continuous possession of all three parcels from prior to the issuance of the State grant until his death, and his heirs continued possession until dispossessed during the insurrection. The testimony of the oppositors was insufficient to overcome the validity of the State grant issued to Revilla. For a private party to annul such a grant, the evidence must be clear, positive, and conclusive, which the oppositors failed to provide. Therefore, the opposition was overruled, and the land was ordered registered as prayed for in the petition.