OUTLINE IN

LAND, TITLES & DEEDS

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Discussion of class policies

B. Overview on the course/subject

C. Distribution of subject outline

II. BASIC CONCEPTS

A. Classification of lands

1. An executive prerogative

2. Constitutional classifications

3. Public land vs. Government Land

4. Lands not available for private appropriation

5. Patrimonial property

F. The Regalian Doctrine

G. Modes of acquiring titles to lands

H. Systems of registration of lands

1. Property Registration Decree (PD 1529)

2. Public Land Act (CA 141)

3. Cadastral Act (Act 2259)

E. Torrens system of registration

1. Background

2. Purpose

3. Advantages

F. Registration

1. Property Registration Decree (PD 1529)

2. Public Land Act (CA 141)

3. Cadastral Act (Act 2259)

G. Applicable Cases:

1. Montano vs. Insular Government (G.R. No. 3714, January 26,

1909)

2. Legarda vs. Saleeby (G.R. No. 8936, October 2, 1915)

 3. Palomo vs. CA (G.R. No. 95608, January 21, 1997)

4. DCD Construction vs. Republic (G.R. No. 179978, March 2, 2007)

5. Republic vs. CA (G.R. No. 155450, August 6, 2008)

6. Secretary of the DENR vs. Yap (G.R. No. 167707, October 8,

2008)

7. Republic vs. Fabio (G.R. No. 159589, December 23, 2008)

8. Republic vs. INC and Manalo (G.R. 180067, June 30, 2009)

9. Sampaco vs. Lantud (G.R. No. 163551, July 18, 2011)

10. Casimiro Development Corp. vs. Mateo (G.R. No. 175485, July
27, 2011)

11. Valiao vs. Republic (G.R. No. 170757, November 28, 2011)

12. DCD Construction vs. Republic (G.R. No. 179978, March 2, 2007)

13. Republic vs. Jaralve (G.R. No. 175177, October 24, 2012)

14. Malabanan vs. Republic (G.R. No. 179987, September 3, 2013)

15. Gaerlan vs. Republic (G.R. No. 192717, March 12, 2014)

16. Gabriel vs. Crisologo (G.R. No. 204626, June 9, 2014)

III. PROPERTY REGISTRATION DECREE (PD 1529)

A. Nature of proceedings

1. In rem vs. in personam

2. Applicable Cases:

a. Moscoso vs. CA (G.R. No. L-46439, April 24, 1984)

b. Republic vs. CA (G.R. No. 113549, July 5, 1996)

B. Jurisdiction and venue of land registration

1. BP 129, as amended by RA 7691

2. OCA Circular No. 38-97

3. SC Admin Circular No. 6-93-A

4. Applicable Cases:

a. Delos Angeles vs. Santos (G.R. No. L-19615, December 24,

1964)

b. Concepcion vs. Concepcion (G.R. No. 147928, January 11,

2005)

c. Latorre vs. Latorre (G.R. No. 183926, March 29, 2010)

d. Lozada vs. Bracewell (G.R No. 179155, April 2, 2014)

C. Land Registration Authority

1. Composition

2. Functions

3. The Administrator

4. Applicable Cases:

a. Noblejas vs. Teehankee (G.R. No. L-28790, April 29, 1968)

b. Gomez vs. CA (G.R. No. 77770, December 15, 1988)

c. Angeles vs. Secretary of Justice (G.R. No. 142549, March 9,

2010)

D. The Office of the Register of Deeds

1. Nature of duty

2. Registration and denial thereof

3. Vacancy

4. Applicable Cases:

a. Po Sun Tun vs. Price (G.R. No. 31346, December 28, 1929)

b. Balbin vs. Register of Deeds of Ilocos Sur (G.R. No.

L-20611, May 8, 1969)

c. Guzman vs. CA (G.R. No. L-46935, December 21, 1987)

d. Abrigo vs. De Vera (G.R No. 154409, June 21, 2004)

e. Fudot vs. Cattleya Land, Inc. (G.R. No. 171008, September

13, 2007)

f. Alinas vs. Alinas (G.R. No. 158040, April 14, 2008)

g. Montaño vs. Francisco (G.R. No. 160380, July 30, 2009)

h. Bulaong vs. Gonzales (G.R. No. 156318, September 5,

2011)

i. Aboitiz vs. PO (G.R. No. 208450, June 5, 2017)

j. HI-LON Manufacturing Inc. vs. COA (G.R. No. 210669,

August 1, 2017)

E. Original Registration

1. Ordinary Registration Proceedings

a. Applicants

i. Individuals

ii. Corporations

a) Private corporations

b) Corporation Sole
b. Registerable land

i. Registration based on

a) Possession

b) Prescription

c) Accession or accretion

d) Others

i) Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA)

ii) Special Patents

c. Steps in bringing land under Torrens system

i. 3-mode Notice and proof thereof

ii. Opposition

iii. Default Order

iv. Dealings pending registration

d. Citizenship requirement

e. Decree of Registration

f. Review of decree of registration

i. Under PD 1529

ii. Under the Rules of Court

iii. Criminal prosecution

g. Innocent purchaser for value

i. Mirror doctrine

ii. Rule of “caveat emptor”

iii. Lis pendens, adverse claim, execution sale

iv. “Prior est temporae, prior est in jura”

h. Applicable Cases:

i. Krivenko vs. Register of Deeds (G.R. No. L-630,

November 15, 1947)

ii. Grande vs. CA (G.R. No. L-17652, June 30, 1962)

iii. Director of Lands vs. CA (G.R. No. 73002,

December 29, 1986)

iv. Republic vs. IAC (G.R. No. 75042, November 29,

1988)

v. Cureg vs. IAC (G.R. No. 73465, September 7, 1989)

vi. Jomoc vs. CA (G.R. No. 92871, August 2, 1991)

 vii. Republic vs. CA (G.R. No. 108998, August 24, 1994)

viii.Ong Ching Po vs. CA (G.R. No. 113472, December

20, 1994)

ix. Republic vs. Alconaba (G.R. No. 155012, April 14,

2004)

x. Republic vs. CA (G.R. No. 144057, January 17,

2005)

xi. Borromeo vs. Descallar (G.R. No. 159310, February

24, 2009)

xii. City Mayor of Paranaque vs. Ebio (G.R. No. 178411,

June 23, 2010)

xiii.Malabanan vs. Republic (G.R. No. 179987, April 29,

2009 & September 3, 2013)

xiv.Uy vs. Fule (G.R. No. 164961, June 30, 2014)

xv. Register of Deeds of Negros Occidental vs. Anglo

(G.R. No. 171804, August 5, 2015)

xvi.Republic vs. Lao (G.R. No. 200726, November 9,

2016)

xvii.Republic vs. Ocol (G.R. No. 208530, November 14,

2016)

xviii.Espiritu vs. Republic (G.R. No. 219070, June 21,

2017)

xix.Dy vs. Aldea (G.R. No. 219500, August 9, 2017)

2. Cadastral Registration Proceedings

a. Nature and purpose

b. Coverage

c. Procedure

d. Applicable Cases:

i. Abellera vs. Farol (G.R. No. 48480, July 30, 1943)

ii. Sideco vs. Aznar (G.R. No. L-4831, April 24, 1953)

iii. Rodil vs. Benedicto (G.R. No. L-28616, January 22,

1980)

F. Certificate of Title

1. Issuance

a. Original

b. Transfer

2. Probative value
 3. Limitations to registered owner’s absolute title

4. Owner’s duplicate copy

5. Challenge on the Certificate of Title

6. Subdivision

7. Applicable Cases:

a. Ledesma vs. Municipality of Iloilo (G.R. No. 26337,

December 17, 1926)

b. Demasiado vs. Velasco (G.R. No. L-27844, May 10, 1976)

c. Odsigue vs. CA (G.R. No. 111179, July 4, 1994)

d. Tan vs. Bantegui (G.R. No. 154027, October 24, 2005)

e. Vicente vs. Avera (G.R. No. 169970, January 20, 2009)

f. Del Prado vs. Caballero (G.R. No. 148225, March 3, 2010)

g. Fernando vs. Acuna (G.R. No. 161030, September 14, 2011)

h. Wee vs. Mardo (G.R. No. 202414, June 4, 2014)

G. Subsequent Registration

1. Voluntary dealings

a. Essential and formal requisites of contracts

b. Dealings less than ownership

c. Registration

2. Involuntary dealings

a. Attachment

b. Adverse claim

c. Execution and tax delinquency sale

d. Lis pendens

3. Applicable Cases:

a. L.P. Leviste & Co. vs. Noblejas (G.R. No. L-28529, April 30,
1979)

b. Martinez vs. Garcia (G.R. No. 166536, February 4, 2010)

c. Virtucio vs. Alegarbes (G.R. No. 187451, August 29, 2012)

H. Registration of Judgments

1. Recovery of possession or ownership

a. Issuance of new title

b. Execution of deed pursuant to a judgment

 2. Partition

3. Insolvency

4. Eminent domain

5. Extrajudicial Settlement

6. Letters testamentary and administration

7. Applicable Cases:

a. Selph vs. Aguilar (G.R. No. L-13465, March 29, 1960)

b. Filinvest Land, Inc. vs. Adia (G.R. No. 192629, November

25, 2015)

I. The Assurance Fund

1. Purpose

2. Claims against the Fund

3. Against whom claims may be filed

4. Register of Deeds as party in interest

5. Judgment, how satisfied

6. Not recoverable losses

7. Prescriptive period

8. Applicable Cases:

a. La Urbana vs. Bernardo (G.R. No. 41915, January 8, 1936)

b. DBP vs. Bautista (G.R. No. L-21362, November 29, 1968)

c. Treasurer of the Philippines vs. CA (G.R. No. L-42805,

August 31, 1987)

d. De Guzman vs. The National Treasurer (G.R. No. 143281,

August 3, 2000)

e. Guaranteed Homes, Inc. vs. Valdez (G.R. No. 171531,

January 30, 2009)

f. Chua vs. B.E. San Diego, Inc. (G.R. No. 165863, April 10,
2013)

J. Actions and Incidents after Original Registration

1. Surrender of title

2. Amendment and alteration of title

a. Where to file

b. Grounds

3. Replacement of lost duplicate title

 4. Reconstitution of title

a. Judicial

i. Proper party

ii. Sources

iii. Where to file

b. Administrative

i. RA 6732

ii. No res judicata

5. Applicable Cases:

a. Serra Serra vs. CA (G.R. No. 34080, March 22, 1991)

b. OCA vs. Matas (AM RTJ-92-836, August 2, 1995)

c. Ragua vs. CA (G.R. No. 88521, January 31, 2000)

d. Manotok vs. Barque (G.R. 162335, December 18, 2008)

e. Vilbar vs. Opinion (G.R. No. 176043, January 15, 2014)

f. Republic vs. Molinyawe (G.R. No. 217120, April 18, 2016)

g. Cabañez vs. Solano (G.R. No. 200180, June 6, 2016)

K. Dealings with Unregistered Lands

1. Registration

2. Duty of the Register of Deeds

3. Applicable Cases:

a. Rivera vs. Moran (G.R. No. 24568, March 2, 1926)

b. Pua Hermanos vs. Register of Deeds (G.R. No. 274349,

September 10, 1927)

c. Gutierrez vs. Mendoza-Plaza (G.R. No. 185477, December

4, 2009

Special Instructions: Read the applicable cases for recitation and/or quiz purposes on
the meetings the particular topics and sub-topics are discussed, On the day of the Final
Examinations, Submit the digests of the same cases hand-written on a yellow paper
and (paper or hard)-bound for posterity.

Outline prepared by:

DODIE OPINION TURLA

Associate Legal Counsel, UNO-R
Teaching Faculty: UNO-R, SSC-R, & T.I.P.
Managing Lawyer: D.O.T. Law & Notarial Offices (Manila & Negros Occ.)
Corporate/In-House Counsel: Muti-Fold Links, Inc., Funeraria Rizal, Inc., CBII
Philippines International, Inc.