7/21/2016

G.R.No.L7054

TodayisThursday,July21,2016

RepublicofthePhilippines
SUPREMECOURT
Manila
ENBANC
G.R.No.L7054January20,1913
MUNICIPALITYOFHINUNANGAN,plaintiffappellee,
vs.
THEDIRECTOROFLANDS,defendantappellant.
AttorneyGeneralVillamor,forappellant.
ProvincialFiscalDelaRama,forappellee.
MORELAND,J.:
ThisisanappealfromthejudgmentoftheCourtofLandRegistration,orderingtheregistrationofthetitleofthe
petitioner to the lands described in the petition. The appeal is taken by the Insular Government from the
registrationofthetitleofoneoftheparcelsoflandonly.ItissituatedinthemunicipalityofHinunangan,Province
ofLeyte,andcontainsanareaof10,328.8squaremeters.Itisboundedonthenortheastbythemaritimezone
onthesoutheastbyNorthAmericaStreetonthesouthwestbyManililiStreet,andonthenorthwestbySanIsidro
LabradorStreet.Uponthislotisbuiltastonefortwhichhasstoodtherefromtimeimmemorialandwasintimes
pastusedasadefenseagainsttheinvasionoftheMoros.
Formerly,asnow,thedefenseofthenationalterritoryagainstinvasionbyforeignenemiesresteduponthestate
and not upon the towns and villages and for this reason all of the defenses were constructed by the National
Government.Involume2,book3,title7,law1oftheLawsoftheIndiesappearsthefollowing:
We command that all the ground roundabout the castles and fortresses be clear and unoccupied, and if
any building is erected within 300 paces of the wall or other building so strong that even at a greater
distance it would prejudice the defenses, it shall be torn down, and the owner of the same shall be paid
fromtheRoyalTreasuryforthedamagescausedhim.
Book4,title7,law12,readsasfollows:
Weorderthat,forthesecurityanddefenseofthecitiesasisnowassuredbythecastlesandfortresses,no
buildingshallbeerectedwithin300pacesofthewallsorstockadesofthenewcities.
Article339oftheCivilCodeisasfollows,inpart:
ART.339.Thefollowingarepublicproperty:
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2.Thatwhichbelongsprivatelytothestate,whichisnotforpublicuseandwhichisdestinedforthepublic
goodortoincreasethenationalriches,suchaswalls,fortressesandotherconstructionsforthedefenseof
thecountry,andtheminesaslongasnoconcessioninregardtothemismade.
Article341oftheCivilCodeprovides:
ART. 341. Public property, when it ceases to be used for the public good or for the necessities of the
defenseofthecountry,becomesapartofthepropertyofthestate.
Fromtheseprovisionsitseemsclearthatthefortressinquestionwaserectedforthenationaldefenseandwasa
partofthepropertyofthestatedestinedandusedforthatpurpose.Asanecessaryresult,thelanduponwhichit
standsmustalsohavebeendedicatedtothatpurpose.
The fact that said fortress may not have been used for many years for the purposes for which it was originally
built does not of necessity deprive the state of its ownership therein. As we have seen, the Civil Code provides
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that,whenthefortressceasestobeusedforthepurposesforwhichitwasconstructed,itbecomestheproperty
ofthestateinwhatmaybecalledtheprivatesense.Thatthemunicipalitymayhaveexercisedwithinrecentyears
actsofownershipoverthelandbypermittingittobeoccupiedandconsentingtotheerectionofprivatehouses
thereondoesnotdeterminenecessarilythatthelandhasbecomethepropertyofthemunicipality.Wehaveheld
in several cases that, where the municipality has occupied lands distinctly for public purposes, such as for the
municipalcourthouse,thepublicschool,thepublicmarket,orothernecessarymunicipalbuilding,wewill,inthe
absenceofprooftothecontrary,presumeagrantfromthestateinfavorofthemunicipalitybut,asindicatedby
thewording,thatrulemaybeinvokedonlyastopropertywhichisuseddistinctlyforpublicpurposes.Itcannotbe
appliedagainstthestatewhenoccupiedforanyotherpurpose.
Theevidencedoesnotdisclosethatthemunicipalityhasusedthelandforpurposesdistinctlypublic.
Thejudgmentinrelationtotheparceloflandheretoforedescribedisreversedandthepetitionastothatparcel
dismissed.Inallotherrespectsthejudgmentisaffirmed.Soordered.
Arellano,C.J.,Torres,Mapa,Johnson,andTrent,JJ.,concur.
TheLawphilProjectArellanoLawFoundation

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