Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
March27,1929]
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS,
applicantandappellant,vs.CONSORCIA CABAGIS ET
AL.,claimantsandappellees.
LAND REGISTRATION ; LAND DISAPPEARING INTO
SEA;PUBLICDOMAIN.Asthelotsinquestiondisappearedby
naturalerosionduetotheebbandflowofthetide,andasthey
remained in that condition until reclaimed from the sea by the
filling in done by the Government, they belong to the public
domainforpublicuse.(Aragonvs.InsularGovernment,19Phil.,
223;Franciscovs.GovernmentofthePhilippineIslands,28Phil.,
505.)
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VOL.53,MARCH27,1929
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114
PHILIPPINEREPORTSANNOTATED
Government of the Philippine Islands vs. Cabangis
"4. The lower court erred in adjudicating the
registrationofthelandsinquestioninthenameof
theappellees,andindenyingtheappellant'smotion
foranewtrial."
VOL.53,MARCH27,1929
115
**
"3. The Shores. By the shore is understood that space covered
and uncovered by the movement of the tide. Its interior or
terrestriallimitistheline reached by the highest equinoctial tides.
Where the tides are not appreciable, the shore begins on the land
side at the line reached by the sea during ordinary storms or
tempests."
116
PHILIPPINEREPORTSANNOTATED
Government of the Philippine Islands vs. Cabangis
publicdomain,buttheownerthusdispossesseddoesnotretainany
righttothenaturalproductsresultingfromtheirnewnature;itisa
de factocaseofeminentdomain,andnotsubjecttoindemnity."
Nowthen,whensaidlandwasreclaimed,didtheclaimants
appellees. or their predecessors recover it as their original
property?
Aswehaveseen,thelandbelongingtothepredecessors
of the herein claimantsappellees began to wear away in
1896, owing to the gradual erosion caused by the ebb and
flow of the tide, until the year 1901, when the waters of
ManilaBaycompletelysubmergedaportionofit,included
withinlots36,39and40hereinquestion,remainingthus
underwateruntilreclaimedasaresultofcertainworkdone
by the Government in 1912. According to the abovecited
authoritiessaidportionofland,thatis,lots36,39and40,
which was private property, became a part of the public
domain.Thepredecessorsofthehereinclaimantsappellees
couldhaveprotectedtheirlandbybuildingaretainingwall,
withtheconsentofcompetentauthority,in1896whenthe
watersoftheseabegantowearitaway,inaccordancewith
theprovisionsofarticle29oftheaforecitedLawofWatersof
August3,1866,andtheirfailuretodosountil1901,whena
portion of the same became completely covered by said
waters, remaining thus submerged until 1912, constitutes
abandonment.
Now then: The lots under discussion having been
reclaimedfromtheseaasaresultofcertainworkdoneby
theGovernment,towhomdotheybelong?
The answer to this question is found in article 5 of the
aforementionedLawofWaters,whichisasfollows:
"ART. 5. Lands reclaimed from the sea in consequence of works
constructed by the State, or by the provinces, pueblos, or private
persons, with proper permission, shall become the property of the
party constructing such works, unless otherwise provided by the
termsofthegrantofauthority."
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VOL.53,MARCH27,1929
117
InthecaseofDirectorofLandsvs.Aguilar(G.R.No.22034)
1
, also cited by the claimantsappellees, wherein the
Government adduced no evidence in support of its
contention,thelowercourtsaidinpart:
"ThecontentionoftheclaimantsCabangisistotheeffectthatsaid
lots are a part of the adjoining land adjudicated to their deceased
father, Don Tomas Cabangis, which, for over fifty years had
belongedtotheirdeceasedgrandmother,TitaAndres,andthat,due
tocertainimprovementsmadeinManilaBay,thewatersofthesea
coveredalargepartofthelotshereinclaimed.
________________
1PromulgatedOctober23,1924,notreported.
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PHILIPPINEREPORTSANNOTATED
Government of the Philippine Islands vs. Cabangis
VOL.53,MARCH27,1929
119
havingdisappearedonaccountofthegradualerosiondueto
theebbandflowofthetide,andhavingremainedinsucha
stateuntiltheywerereclaimedfrom.theseabythefilling
in done by the Government, they are public land. (Aragon
vs. Insular Government, 19 Phil., 223; Francisco vs.
GovernmentofthePhilippineIslands,28Phil.,505.)
By virtue whereof, the judgment appealed from is
reversedandlotsNos.36,39and40ofcadastralproceeding
No. 373 of the City of Manila are held to be public land
belongingtotheGovernmentoftheUnitedStatesunderthe
administration and control of the Government of the
PhilippineIslands.Soordered.
Johnson, Street, Malcolm,
Romualdez, JJ.,concur.
Ostrand,
Johns, and
Judgment reversed.
120
120
PHILIPPINEREPORTSANNOTATED
Castillo vs, Valdez