6/18/2017 G.R.No.

L40474

TodayisSunday,June18,2017

CustomSearch

RepublicofthePhilippines
SUPREMECOURT
Manila

SECONDDIVISION

G.R.No.L40474August29,1975

CEBUOXYGEN&ACETYLENECO.,INC.,petitioner,
vs.
HON.PASCUALA.BERCILLESPresidingJudge,BranchXV,14thJudicialDistrict,andJOSEL.
ESPELETA,AssistantProvincialFiscal,ProvinceofCebu,representingtheSolicitorGeneral'sOfficeand
theBureauofLands,respondents.

JoseAntonioRCondeforpetitioner.

OfficeoftheActingSolicitorGeneralHugoE.Gutierrez,Jr.,AssistantSolicitorGeneralOctavioR.Ramirezand
TrialAttorneyDavidR.Hilarioforrespondents..

CONCEPCION,Jr.,J.:

This is a petition for the review of the order of the Court of First Instance of Cebu dismissing petitioner's
applicationforregistrationoftitleoveraparceloflandsituatedintheCityofCebu.

The parcel of land sought to be registered was only a portion of M. Borces Street, Mabolo, Cebu City. On
September 23, 1968, the City Council of Cebu, through Resolution No. 2193, approved on October 3, 1968,
declaredtheterminalportionofM.BorcesStreet,Mabolo,CebuCity,asanabandonedroad,thesamenotbeing
included in the City Development Plan. 1 Subsequently, on December 19, 1968, the City Council of Cebu passed
ResolutionNo.2755,authorizingtheActingCityMayortosellthelandthroughapublicbidding.2 Pursuant thereto, the lot
was awarded to the herein petitioner being the highest bidder and on March 3, 1969, the City of Cebu, through the Acting
CityMayor,executedadeedofabsolutesaletothehereinpetitionerforatotalconsiderationofP10,800.00.3 By virtue of
theaforesaiddeedofabsolutesale,thepetitionerfiledanapplicationwiththeCourtofFirstinstanceofCebutohaveitstitle
tothelandregistered.4

OnJune26,1974,theAssistantProvincialFiscalofCebufiledamotiontodismisstheapplicationontheground
that the property sought to be registered being a public road intended for public use is considered part of the
publicdomainandthereforeoutsidethecommerceofman.Consequently,itcannotbesubjecttoregistrationby
anyprivateindividual.5

Afterhearingtheparties,onOctober11,1974thetrialcourtissuedanorderdismissingthepetitioner'sapplication
forregistrationoftitle.6Hence,theinstantpetitionforreview.

Fortheresolutionofthiscase,thepetitionerposesthefollowingquestions:

(1)DoestheCityCharterofCebuCity(RepublicActNo.3857)underSection31,paragraph34,give
theCityofCebuthevalidrighttodeclarearoadasabandoned?and

(2) Does the declaration of the road, as abandoned, make it the patrimonial property of the City of
Cebuwhichmaybetheobjectofacommoncontract?

(1)ThepertinentportionsoftheRevisedCharterofCebuCityprovides:

Section 31. Legislative Powers. Any provision of law and executive order to the contrary
notwithstanding,theCityCouncilshallhavethefollowinglegislativepowers:

xxxxxxxxx

(34) ... to close any city road, street or alley, boulevard, avenue, park or square. Property thus
withdrawn from public servitude may be used or conveyed for any purpose for which other real
propertybelongingtotheCitymaybelawfullyusedorconveyed.

Fromtheforegoing,itisundoubtedlyclearthattheCityofCebuisempoweredtocloseacityroadorstreet.Inthe
caseofFavisvs.CityofBaguio,7wherethepowerofthecityCouncilofBaguioCitytoclosecitystreetsandtovacate
orwithdrawthesamefrompublicusewassimilarlyassailed,thiscourtsaid:

5.Soitis,thatappellantmaynotchallengethecitycouncil'sactofwithdrawingastripofLapuLapu
Streetatitsdeadendfrompublicuseandconvertingtheremainderthereofintoanalley.Theseare
actswellwithintheambitofthepowertocloseacitystreet.Thecitycouncil,itwouldseemtous,is
the authority competent to determine whether or not a certain property is still necessary for public
use.

Such power to vacate a street or alley is discretionary. And the discretion will not ordinarily be
controlled or interfered with by the courts, absent a plain case of abuse or fraud or collusion.
Faithfulness to the public trust will be presumed. So the fact that some private interests may be
servedincidentallywillnotinvalidatethevacationordinance.
http://www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1975/aug1975/gr_40474_1975.html 1/2
6/18/2017 G.R.No.L40474

(2)Sincethatportionofthecitystreetsubjectofpetitioner'sapplicationforregistrationoftitlewaswithdrawnfrom
public use, it follows that such withdrawn portion becomes patrimonial property which can be the object of an
ordinarycontract.

Article 422 of the Civil Code expressly provides that "Property of public dominion, when no longer intended for
publicuseorforpublicservice,shallformpartofthepatrimonialpropertyoftheState."

Besides,theRevisedCharteroftheCityofCebuheretoforequoted,inveryclearandunequivocalterms,states
that: "Property thus withdrawn from public servitude may be used or conveyed for any purpose for which other
realpropertybelongingtotheCitymaybelawfullyusedorconveyed."

Accordingly,thewithdrawalofthepropertyinquestionfrompublicuseanditssubsequentsaletothepetitioneris
valid.Hence,thepetitionerhasaregisterabletitleoverthelotinquestion.

WHEREFORE, the order dated October 11, 1974, rendered by the respondent court in Land Reg. Case No. N
948,LRCRec.No.N44531isherebysetaside,andtherespondentcourtisherebyorderedtoproceedwiththe
hearingofthepetitioner'sapplicationforregistrationoftitle.

SOORDERED.

Makalintal,C.J,Fernando,BarredoandAquino,JJ.,concur.

Footnotes

1AnnexA,p.11,rollo.

2AnnexB,p.12,rollo.

3AnnexC,p.13,rollo.

4AnnexD,p.15,rollo.

5AnnexE.p.18,rollo.

6AnnexF.P.20,rollo.

7G.R.No.L29910,April25,1969SCRA1060.

TheLawphilProjectArellanoLawFoundation

http://www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1975/aug1975/gr_40474_1975.html 2/2