G.R. No. L-6044, March 30, 1911
MANUEL PADIN Y MARCAIDA, plaintiff-appellant, vs. R.E. HUMPHREYS, ARCAIDO FELICIANO, EUSEBIO FERNANDEZ, and C.J. COOKE, defendants-appellees.

FACTS

Manuel Padin y Marcaida filed an ejectment suit against the defendants to recover possession of a mineral claim named “The Lookout Claim” in Marinduque. Padin asserted ownership based on his location of a mining claim under the Act of Congress of July 1, 1902. The defendants countered that the land was part of their property, which they had purchased from Filipinos who had owned and occupied it for over thirty years. They argued that they were in open, peaceful, and visible possession at the time Padin staked his claim, making his entry a trespass.

ISSUE

Whether Padin, by staking a mineral claim on land possessed by the defendants for over thirty years, can maintain an action for ejectment against them.

RULING

No. The Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s judgment in favor of the defendants. The Court found that the defendants were the owners and lawful possessors of the land, based on evidence of their and their predecessors’ possession for more than thirty years. Even assuming the land was public domain, the defendants’ long-standing possession conferred rights that could not be forcibly disturbed. Padin’s act of staking the claim constituted a trespass against the defendants’ possession, violating Articles 441, 446, 448, 459, and 460 of the Civil Code, which protect possessory rights and prohibit acquiring possession by force. Since Padin’s claim derived from an unlawful act, he could not maintain the ejectment action. The decision did not adjudicate the Government’s rights over the land, as it was not a party to the case.