*

G.R.No.136803.June16,2000.

EUSTAQUIOMALLILIN,JR.,petitioner,vs.MA.ELVIRA
CASTILLO,respondent.
Civil Law; Civil Code; Family Code; Article 144 of the Civil
Code applies only to cases in which a man and a woman live
together as husband and wife without the benefit of marriage
provided they are not incapacitated or are without impediment to
marry each other or in which the marriage is void ab initio.This
provisionoftheCivilCode,appliesonlytocasesinwhichamanand
a woman live together as husband and wife without the benefit of
marriage provided they are not incapacitated or are without
impedimenttomarryeachother,orinwhichthemarriageisvoidab
initio, provided it is not bigamous. Art. 144, therefore, does not
coverpartieslivinginanadulterousrelationship.However,Art.148
oftheFamilyCodenowprovidesforalimitedcoownershipincases
wherethepartiesinunionareincapacitatedtomarryeachother.
Same; Same; Same; Article 148 of the Family Code, in addition
to providing that a coownership exists between a man and a
woman who live together as husband and wife without the benefit
of marriage, likewise provides that, if the parties are incapacitated
to marry each other, properties acquired by them through their joint
contribution of money, property or industry shall be owned by them
in common in proportion to their contributions which, in the
absence of proof to the contrary, is presumed to be equal.It was
errorforthetrialcourttorulethat,becausethepartiesinthiscase
werenotcapacitatedtomarryeachotheratthetimethattheywere
alleged to have been living together, they could not have owned
properties in common. The Family Code, in addition to providing
that a coownership exists between a man and a woman who live
together as husband and wife without the benefit of marriage,
likewiseprovidesthat,ifthepartiesareincapacitatedtomarryeach
other, properties acquired by them through their joint contribution
ofmoney,propertyorindustryshallbeownedbythemincommon
inproportiontotheircontributionswhich,intheabsenceofproofto
the contrary, is presumed to be equal. There is thus coownership
eventhoughthecouplearenotcapacitatedtomarryeachother.
_______________
* SECONDDIVISION.

629

VOL.333,JUNE16,2000

629

Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

Same; Same; Same; Under Article 148 of the Family Code all

properties acquired by the parties out of their actual joint

contributions of money, property or industry shall constitute a co
ownership.Onthebasisofthis,hecontendsthatanimpliedtrust
existedpursuanttoArt.1452oftheCivilCodewhichprovidesthat
(I)f two or more persons agree to purchase property and by
commonconsentthelegaltitleistakeninthenameofoneofthem
forthebenefitofall,atrustiscreatedbyforceoflawinfavorofthe
othersinproportiontotheinterestofeach.Wedonotthinkthisis
correct. The legal relation of the parties is already specifically
covered by Art. 148 of the Family Code under which all the
properties acquired by the parties out of their actual joint
contributions of money, property or industry shall constitute a co
ownership.Coownershipisaformoftrustandeverycoownerisa
trustee for the other. The provisions of Art. 1452 and Art. 1453 of
the Civil Code, then are no longer material since a trust relation
alreadyinheresinacoownershipwhichisgovernedunderTitleIII,
BookIIoftheCivilCode.
Land Registration; Torrens System; A torrens title, as a rule, is
conclusive and indefeasible; Proceeding from this, Presidential
Decree No. 1529, 48 provides that a certificate of title shall not be
subject to collateral attack and can not be altered, modified, or
canceled except in a direct proceeding.ATorrenstitle,asarule,is
conclusive and indefeasible. Proceeding from this, P.D. No. 1529,
48 provides that a certificate of title shall not be subject to
collateralattackandcannotbealtered,modified,orcanceledexcept
inadirectproceeding.Whenisanactionanattackonatitle?Itis
whentheobjectoftheactionorproceedingistonullifythetitle,and
thus challenge the judgment pursuant to which the title was
decreed. The attack is direct when the object of an action or
proceeding is to annul or set aside such judgment, or enjoin its
enforcement. On the other hand, the attack is indirect or collateral
when, in an action to obtain a different relief, an attack on the
judgmentisneverthelessmadeasanincidentthereof.
Same; Same; Notwithstanding the registration of the land in
the name of only one of the heirs, the other heirs can claim their
shares in such action, judicial or extrajudicial, as may be necessary
to partition the estate of the testator.In Guevara v. Guevara, in
whichaparceloflandbequeathedinalastwillandtestamentwas
registeredinthenameofonlyoneoftheheirs,withtheunder
630

630

SUPREMECOURTREPORTSANNOTATED
Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

standing that he would deliver to the others their shares after the
debts of the original owner had been paid, this Court ruled that
notwithstandingtheregistrationofthelandinthenameofonlyone
of the heirs, the other heirs can claim their shares in such action,
judicialorextrajudicial,asmaybenecessarytopartitiontheestate
ofthetestator.

PETITIONforreviewoncertiorariofadecisionoftheCourt
ofAppeals.
ThefactsarestatedintheopinionoftheCourt.

R.D. Tacorda & Associatesforpetitioner.

Teresita Dizon Capulongforprivaterespondent.
MENDOZA,J.:
1

Thisisapetitionforreviewoftheamendeddecision ofthe
Court of Appeals dated May 7, 1998 in CA G.R. CV No.
48443 granting respondents motion for reconsideration of
its decision dated November 7, 1996, and of the resolution
dated December 21, 1998 denying petitioners motion for
reconsideration.
Thefactualandproceduralantecedentsareasfollows:
OnFebruary24,1993,petitionerEustaquioMallilin,Jr.
2
filed a complaint for Partition and/or Payment of Co
Ownership Share, Accounting and Damages against
respondentMa.ElviraCastillo.Thecomplaint,docketedas
CivilCaseNo.93656attheRegionalTrialCourtinMakati
City, alleged that petitioner and respondent, both married
and with children, but separated from their respective
spouses,cohabitedafterabriefcourtshipsometimein1979
whiletheirrespectivemarriagesstillsubsisted.Duringtheir
union, they set up the Superfreight Customs Brokerage
Corporation,with
_______________
1 Per Justice Conrado M. Vasquez, Jr., and concurred in by Justice

(now Supreme Court Justice) Arturo B. Buena and Justice Angelina

SandovalGutierrez.
2AnnexC;Id.,p.44.

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VOL.333,JUNE16,2000

631

Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

petitioner as president and chairman of the board of
directors, and respondent as vicepresident and treasurer.
The business flourished and petitioner and respondent
acquiredrealandpersonalpropertieswhichwereregistered
solely in respondents name. In 1992, due to irreconcilable
differences,thecoupleseparated.Petitionerdemandedfrom
respondent his share in the subject properties, but
respondent refused alleging that said properties had been
registeredsolelyinhername.3
InherAmendedAnswer, respondentadmittedthatshe
engagedinthecustomsbrokeragebusinesswithpetitioner
but alleged that the Superfreight Customs Brokerage
Corporationwasorganizedwithotherindividualsandduly
registeredwiththeSecuritiesandExchangeCommissionin
1987.Shedeniedthatsheandpetitionerlivedashusband
and wife because the fact was that they were still legally
married to their respective spouses. She claimed to be the
exclusiveownerofallrealandpersonalpropertiesinvolved
in petitioners action for partition on the ground that they
wereacquiredentirelyoutofherownmoneyandregistered
solelyinhername.
On November 25, 1994, respondent filed a Motion for

Summary Judgment,
in accordance with Rule 34 of the
5
RulesofCourt. Shecontendedthatsummaryjudgmentwas
proper, because the issues raised in the pleadings were
shamandnotgenuine,towit:
A.
ThemainissueisCanplaintiffvalidlyclaimthepartition and/or
payment of coownership share, accounting and damages,
considering that plaintiff and defendant are admittedly both
married to their respective spouses under still valid and subsisting
marriages, even assuming as claimed by plaintiff, that they lived
togetherashusbandandwifewithoutbenefitofmarriage?Inother
words,can
_______________
3AnnexD;Id.,p.49.
4AnnexE;Id.,p.60.
5NowRule35afterthe1997amendments.

632

632

SUPREMECOURTREPORTSANNOTATED
Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

the parties be considered as coowners of the properties, under the

law, considering the present status of the parties as both married
and incapable of marrying each other, even assuming that they
livedtogetherashusbandandwife(?)
B.
As a collateral issue, can the plaintiff be considered as an
unregistered coowner of the real properties under the Transfer
Certificates of Title duly registered solely in the name of defendant
Ma. Elvira Castillo? This issue is also true as far as the motor
vehicles in question are concerned which are also registered in the
6
nameofdefendant.

On the first point, respondent contended that even if she

and petitioner actually cohabited, petitioner could not
validly claim a part of the subject real and personal
properties because Art. 144 of the Civil Code, which
provides that the rules on coownership shall govern the
propertiesacquiredbyamanandawomanlivingtogether
ashusbandandwifebutnotmarried,orunderamarriage
whichisvoidab initio,appliesonlyifthepartiesarenotin
7
anywayincapacitatedtocontractmarriage. Intheparties
case, their union suffered the legal impediment of a prior
subsistingmarriage.Thus,thequestionoffactbeingraised
by petitioner, i.e., whether they lived together as husband
and wife, was irrelevant as no coownership could exist
betweenthem.
As to the second issue, respondent maintained that
petitionercannotbeconsideredanunregisteredcoownerof
thesubjectpropertiesonthegroundthat,sincetitlestothe
land are solely in her name, to grant petitioners prayer
wouldbetoallowacollateralattackonthevalidityofsuch
titles.

Petitioner
opposed respondents Motion for Summary
8
Judgment. Hecontendedthatthecasepresentedgenuine
_______________
6Rollo,p.66(Emphasisintheoriginal).
7CitingLesacav.Lesaca,91Phil.135(1952)andMarata v. Dionisio,

G.R.No.24449,unpublished.
8AnnexE1Id.,p.74.

633

VOL.333,JUNE16,2000

633

Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

factualissuesandthatArt.144oftheCivilCodehadbeen
repealedbytheFamilyCodewhichnowallows,underArt.
148, a limited coownership even though a man and a
woman living together are not capacitated to marry each
other. Petitioner also asserted that an implied trust was
constitutedwhenheandrespondentagreedtoregisterthe
properties solely in the latters name although the same
wereacquiredoutoftheprofitsmadefromtheirbrokerage
business.Petitionerinvokedthefollowingprovisionsofthe
CivilCode:
Art.1452.Iftwoormorepersonsagreetopurchasepropertyandby
commonconsentthelegaltitleistakeninthenameofoneofthem
forthebenefitofall,atrustiscreatedbyforceoflawinfavorofthe
othersinproportiontotheinterestofeach.
Art.1453.Whenthepropertyisconveyedtoapersoninreliance
upon his declared intention to hold it for, or transfer it to another
grantor, there is an implied trust in favor of the person whose
benefitiscontemplated.
9

OnJanuary30,1995,thetrialcourtrendereditsdecision
granting respondents motion for summary judgment. It
ruledthatanexaminationofthepleadingsshowsthatthe
issues involved were purely legal. The trial court also
sustained respondents contention that petitioners action
forpartitionamountedtoacollateralattackonthevalidity
ofthecertificatesoftitlecoveringthesubjectproperties.It
heldthatevenifthepartiesreallyhadcohabited,theaction
for partition could not be allowed because an action for
partitionamongcoownersceasestobesoandbecomesone
for title if the defendant, as in the present case, alleges
exclusiveownershipofthepropertiesinquestion.Forthese
reasons,thetrialcourtdismissedCivilCaseNo.93656.
On appeal, the Court of Appeals on November 7, 1996,
orderedthecaseremandedtothecourtoforiginfortrialon
the merits. It cited
the decision in Roque v. Intermediate
10
Appellate Court totheeffectthatanactionforpartitionis
atoncean
_______________
9AnnexF;Id.,p.80.
10165SCRA118(1988).

634

634

SUPREMECOURTREPORTSANNOTATED
Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

action for declaration of coownership and for segregation

and conveyance of a determinate portion of the properties
involved. If the defendant asserts exclusive title over the
property, the action for partition should not be dismissed.
Rather,thecourtshouldresolvethecaseandiftheplaintiff
is unable to sustain his claimed status as a coowner, the
court should dismiss the action, not because the wrong
remedy was availed of, but because no basis exists for
requiring the defendant to submit to partition. Resolving
the issue whether petitioners action for partition was a
collateralattackonthevalidityofthecertificatesoftitle,the
CourtofAppealsheldthatsincepetitionersoughttocompel
respondent to execute documents necessary to effect
transfer of what he claimed was his share, petitioner was
not actually attacking the validity of the titles but in fact,
recognized their validity. Finally, the appellate court
upheldpetitionerspositionthatArt.144oftheCivilCode
hadbeenrepealedbyArt.148oftheFamilyCode.
Respondent moved for reconsideration of the decision of
the Court of Appeals. On May 7, 1998, nearly two years
after its first decision, the Court of Appeals granted
respondents motion and reconsidered its prior decision. In
itsdecisionnowchallengedinthepresentpetition,itheld
Prefatorily, and to better clarify the controversy on whether this
suit is a collateral attack on the titles in issue, it must be
underscoredthatplaintiffappellantallegedinhiscomplaintthatall
thenine(9)titlesareregisteredinthenameofdefendantappellee,
Ma. Elvira T. Castillo, except one which appears in the name of
Eloisa Castillo (see par. 9, Complaint). However, a verification of
theannexesofsuchinitiatorypleadingshowssomediscrepancies,to
wit:

1. TCTNo.149046(Annex =
A)

ElviraT.Castillo,single

2. TCTNo.168208(Annex =
B)

do

3. TCTNo.37046(Annex
C)

do

4. TCTNo.37047(Annex
D)

do

5. TCTNo.37048(Annex
E)

do

6. TCTNo.30368(Annex
F)

Steelhaus Realty & Dev.

Corp.
635

VOL.333,JUNE16,2000
Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

635

7. TCTNo.30369(AnnexG)

do

8. TCTNo.30371(AnnexF)

do

9. TCTNo.(92323)67881(AnnexI)

= Eloisa Castillo

In this action, plaintiffappellant seeks to be declared as 1/2 co

owner of the real properties covered by the above listed titles and
eventually for their partition [par. (a), Prayer; p. 4 Records].
Notably, in order to achieve such prayer for a joint coownership
declaration, it is unavoidable that the individual titles involved be
altered,changed,cancelledormodifiedtoincludethereinthename
oftheappelleeasaregistered1/2coowner.Yet,nocauseofaction
or even a prayer is contained in the complaint filed. Manifestly,
absent any cause or prayer for the alteration, cancellation,
modification or changing of the titles involved, the desired
declaration of coownership and eventual partition will utterly be
an indirect or collateral attack on the subject titles in this suit.
It is here that We fell into error, such that, if not rectified will
surely lead to a procedural lapse and a possible injustice. Well
settled is the rule that a certificate of title cannot be altered,
modified or cancelled except in a direct proceeding in accordance
with law.
Inthisjurisdiction,theremedyofthelandownerwhoseproperty
has been wrongfully or erroneously registered in another name is,
after one year from the date of the decree, not to set aside the
decree, but respecting it as incontrovertible and no longer open to
review, to bring an action for reconveyance or, if the property had
passed into the hands of an innocent purchaser for value, for
damages.Verily, plaintiffappellant should have first pursued such
remedy or any other relief directly attacking the subject titles before
instituting the present partition suit. Apropos, the case at bench
appears to have been prematurely filed.
Lastly,tograntthepartitionprayedforbytheappellantwillin
effectruleanddecideagainstthepropertiesregisteredinthenames
of Steelhouse Realty and Development Corporation and Eloisa
Castillo,whoarenotpartiesinthecase.Toallowthistohappenwill
11
surelyresulttoinjusticeanddenialofdueprocessoflaw....
_______________
11AmendedDecisionoftheCourtofAppeals,pp.24;Rollo,pp.3840

(Citationsomittedandemphasisadded).
636

636

SUPREMECOURTREPORTSANNOTATED
Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

Petitioner moved for reconsideration but his motion was

denied by the Court of Appeals in its resolution dated
December21,1998.Hencethispetition.
Petitionercontendsthat:(1)theCourtofAppeals,inits
firstdecisionofNovember7,1996,wascorrectinapplying
theRoque ruling and in rejecting respondents claim that
shewasthesoleownerofthesubjectpropertiesandthatthe
partition suit was a collateral attack on the titles; (2) the
CourtofAppealscorrectlyruledinitsfirstdecisionthatArt.
148 of the Family Code governs the coownership between

theparties,hence,thecomplaintforpartitionisproper;(3)
with respect to the properties registered in the name of
Steelhouse Realty, respondent admitted ownership thereof
and, at the very least, these properties could simply be
excludedandthepartitionlimitedtotheremainingrealand
personal properties; and (4) the Court of Appeals erred in
not holding that12under the Civil Code, there is an implied
trustinhisfavor.
The issue in this case is really whether summary
judgment,inaccordancewithRule35oftheRulesofCourt,
isproper.Weruleinthenegative.
First. Rule 35, 3 of the Rules of Court provides that
summary judgment is proper only when, based on the
pleadings, depositions, and admissions on file, and after
summaryhearing,itisshownthatexceptastotheamount
of damages, there is no veritable issue regarding any
material fact in the action and13the movant is entitled to
judgment as a matter of law. Conversely, where the
pleadings tender a genuine issue, i.e., an issue of fact the
resolutionofwhichcallsforthepresentationofevidence,as
distinguished from an issue which is sham, fictitious,
contrived, setup in bad faith, or
patently unsubstantial,
14
summaryjudgmentisnotproper.
Inthepresentcase,weareconvincedthatgenuineissues
exist.Petitioneranchorshisclaimofcoownershipontwo
_______________
12Petition,pp.1225;Id.,pp.1831.
13SeeTarnatev.CourtofAppeals,241SCRA254(1995).
14 Galicia v. Polo, 179 SCRA 371 (1989); Garcia v. Court of Appeals,

167SCRA815(1988).
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VOL.333,JUNE16,2000

637

Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

factualgrounds:first,thatsaidpropertieswereacquiredby
himandrespondentduringtheirunionfrom1979to1992
from profits derived from their brokerage business; and
second, that said properties were registered solely in
respondents name only because they agreed to that
arrangement, thereby giving rise to an implied trust in
accordancewithArt.1452andArt.1453oftheCivilCode.
Theseallegationsaredeniedbyrespondent.Shedeniesthat
sheandpetitionerlivedtogetherashusbandandwife.She
also claims that the properties in question were acquired
solelybyherwithherownmoneyandresources.Withsuch
conflictingpositions,theonlywaytoascertainthetruthis
obviously through the presentation of evidence by the
parties.
The trial court ruled that it is immaterial whether the
partiesactuallylivedtogetherashusbandandwifebecause
Art.144oftheCivilCodecannotbemadetoapplytothem
astheywerebothincapacitatedtomarryeachother.Hence,
itwasimpossibleforacoownershiptoexistbetweenthem.
Wedisagree.

Art.144oftheCivilCodeprovides:
Whenamanandawomanlivetogetherashusbandandwife,but
theyarenotmarried,ortheirmarriageisvoidfromthebeginning,
thepropertyacquiredbyeitherorbothofthemthroughtheirwork
or industry or their wages and salaries shall be governed by the
rulesoncoownership.

This provision of the Civil Code, applies only to cases in

which a man and a woman live together as husband and
wifewithoutthebenefitofmarriageprovidedtheyarenot
incapacitated
or are without impediment to marry each
15
other, orinwhichthemarriageisvoidab initio,providedit
isnotbigamous.Art.144,therefore,doesnotcoverparties
living in an adulterous relationship. However, Art. 148 of
theFamilyCodenowprovidesforalimitedcoownershipin
caseswherethe
_______________fs
15SeeJuanizav.Jose,89SCRA306(1979).

638

638

SUPREMECOURTREPORTSANNOTATED
Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

parties in union are incapacitated to marry each other. It

states:
16

In cases of cohabitation not falling under the preceding article,

only the properties acquired by both of the parties through their
actual joint contribution of money, property or industry shall be
owned by them in common in proportion to their respective
contributions. In the absence of proof to the contrary, their
contributions and corresponding shares are presumed to be equal.
The same rule and presumption shall apply to joint deposits of
moneyandevidencesofcredits.
If one of the parties is validly married to another, his or her
shareinthecoownershipshallaccruetotheabsolutecommunityor
conjugal partnership existing in such valid marriage. If the party
whoactedinbadfaithisnotvalidlymarriedtoanother,hisorher
share shall be forfeited in the manner provided in the last
paragraphoftheprecedingarticle.
Theforegoingrulesonforfeitureshalllikewiseapplyevenifboth
partiesareinbadfaith.

It was error for the trial court to rule that, because the
partiesinthiscasewerenotcapacitatedtomarryeachother
at the time that they were alleged to have been living
together,theycouldnothaveownedpropertiesincommon.
The Family Code, in addition to providing that a co
ownership exists between a man and a woman who live
together as husband and wife without the benefit of
marriage, likewise provides that, if the parties are
incapacitated to marry each other, properties acquired by
themthroughtheirjointcontributionofmoney,propertyor
industryshallbeownedbythemincommonin

_______________
16ReferringtoArt.147oftheFamilyCodewhichprovidesthat

When a man and a woman who are capacitated to marry each other, live
exclusively with each other as husband and wife without the benefit of
marriagesorunderavoidmarriage,theirwagesandsalariesshallbeownedby
theminequalsharesandthepropertyacquiredbybothofthemthroughtheir
work or industry shall be governed by the rules on coownership. (Emphasis
added)

639

VOL.333,JUNE16,2000

639

Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

proportion to their contributions which, in the absence of
prooftothecontrary,ispresumedtobeequal.Thereisthus
coownershipeventhoughthecouplearenotcapacitatedto
marryeachother.
In this case, there may be a coownership between the
parties herein. Consequently, whether petitioner and
respondent cohabited and whether the properties involved
inthecasearepartoftheallegedcoownershiparegenuine
and material. All but one of the properties involved were
alleged to have been acquired after the Family Code took
effect on August 3, 1988. With respect to the property
acquired before the Family Code took effect if it is shown
that it was really acquired under the regime of the Civil
Code,thenitshouldbeexcluded.
Petitioner also alleged in paragraph 7 of his complaint
that:
Due to the effective management, hardwork and enterprise of
plaintiff assisted by defendant, their customs brokerage business
grewandout of the profits therefrom,thepartiesacquiredrealand
personal properties which were, upon agreement of the parties,
listed and registered in defendants name with plaintiff as the
17
unregistered coowner of all said properties.

On the basis of this, he contends that an implied trust

existed pursuant to Art. 1452 of the Civil Code which
provides that (I)f two or more persons agree to purchase
propertyandbycommonconsentthelegaltitleistakenin
the name of one of them for the benefit of all, a trust is
createdbyforceoflawinfavoroftheothersinproportionto
the interest of each. We do not think this is correct. The
legalrelationofthepartiesisalreadyspecificallycoveredby
Art.148oftheFamilyCodeunderwhichalltheproperties
acquired by the parties out of their actual joint
contributionsofmoney,propertyorindustryshallconstitute
a coownership. Coownership is a
form of trust and every
18
coownerisatrusteefortheother. Thepro
_______________
17Complaint,p.2;Rollo,p.45(Emphasisadded).
18 Castrillo v. Court of Appeals, 10 SCRA 549 (1964); Sotto v. Teves,

86SCRA154(1978).

640

640

SUPREMECOURTREPORTSANNOTATED
Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

visionsofArt.1452andArt.1453oftheCivilCode,thenare
nolongermaterialsinceatrustrelationalreadyinheresin
acoownershipwhichisgovernedunderTitleIII,BookIIof
theCivilCode.
Second. The trial court likewise dismissed petitioners
actiononthegroundthatthesameamountedtoacollateral
attackonthecertificatesoftitleinvolved.Asalreadynoted,
at first, the Court of Appeals ruled that petitioners action
does not challenge the validity of respondents titles.
However,onreconsideration,itreverseditselfandaffirmed
thetrialcourt.Itnotedthatpetitionerscomplaintfailedto
include a prayer for the alteration, cancellation,
modification,orchangingofthetitlesinvolved.Absentsuch
prayer, the appellate court ruled that a declaration of co
ownershipandeventualpartitionwouldinvolveanindirect
orcollateralattackonthetitles.Wedisagree.
A torrens title, as a rule, is conclusive
and indefeasible.
19
Proceeding from this, P.D. No. 1529, 48 provides that a
certificateoftitleshallnotbesubjecttocollateralattackand
can not be altered, modified, or canceled except in a direct
proceeding. When is an action an attack on a title? It is
whentheobjectoftheactionorproceedingistonullifythe
title, and thus challenge the judgment pursuant to which
thetitlewasdecreed.Theattackisdirectwhentheobjectof
an action or proceeding is to annul or set aside such
judgment,orenjoinitsenforcement.Ontheotherhand,the
attackisindirectorcollateralwhen,inanactiontoobtaina
different relief, an attack on
the judgment is nevertheless
20
madeasanincidentthereof.
Inhiscomplaintforpartition,consistentwithourruling
in Roque regarding the nature of an action for partition,
petitionerseeksfirst,adeclarationthatheisacoownerof
the subject properties; and second, the conveyance of his
lawful shares. He does not attack respondents titles.
Petitioner alleges no fraud, mistake, or any other
irregularitythatwould
_______________
19THEPROPERTYREGISTRATIONDECREE.
20SeeCov.CourtofAppeals,196SCRA705(1991).

641

VOL.333,JUNE16,2000

641

Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

justify a review of the registration decree in respondents
favor. His theory is that although the subject properties
were registered solely in respondents name, but since by
agreementbetweenthemaswellasundertheFamilyCode,
heiscoownerofthesepropertiesandassuchisentitledto

theconveyanceofhisshares.Onthepremisethatheisaco
owner,hecanvalidlyseekthepartitionofthepropertiesin
coownershipandtheconveyancetohimofhisshare.
21
Thus,inGuevara v. Guevara, inwhichaparcelofland
bequeathed in a last will and testament was registered in
the name of only one of the heirs, with the understanding
that he would deliver to the others their shares after the
debtsoftheoriginalownerhadbeenpaid,thisCourtruled
that notwithstanding the registration of the land in the
nameofonlyoneoftheheirs,theotherheirscanclaimtheir
shares in such action, judicial or extrajudicial,
as may be
22
necessarytopartitiontheestateofthetestator.
Third. The Court of Appeals also reversed its first
decisiononthegroundthattoorderpartitionwill,ineffect,
rule and decide against Steelhouse Realty Development
Corporation and Eloisa Castillo, both strangers to the
presentcase,astothepropertiesregisteredintheirnames.
Thisreasoning,however,ignoresthefactthatthemajority
ofthepropertiesinvolvedinthepresentcaseareregistered
inrespondentsname,overwhichpetitionerclaimsrightsas
a coowner. Besides, other than the real properties,
petitioner also seeks partition of a substantial amount of
personalpropertiesconsistingofmotorvehiclesandseveral
pieces of jewelry. By dismissing petitioners complaint for
partition on grounds of due process and equity, the
appellate court unwittingly denied petitioner his right to
prove ownership over the claimed real and personal
properties. The dismissal of petitioners complaint is
unjustifiedsincebothendsmaybeamplyservedbysimply
excludingfromtheactionforpartitiontheproper
_______________
2174Phil.479(1943).
22Id.,atp.495.

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SUPREMECOURTREPORTSANNOTATED
Mallilin, Jr. vs. Castillo

tiesregisteredinthenameofSteelhouseRealtyandEloisa
Castillo.
WHEREFORE, the amended decision of the Court of
Appeals,datedMay7,1998,isREVERSEDandthecaseis
REMANDED to the Regional Trial Court, Branch 59,
MakatiCityforfurtherproceedingsonthemerits.
SOORDERED.
Bellosillo (Chairman), QuisumbingandDe Leon, Jr.,
JJ.,concur.
Buena, J.,Nopart.
Judgment reversed, case remanded to court a quo for further
proceedings.
Notes.The action for partition of property on alleged
coownership is governed by Articles 147 and 148 of the
Family Code considering that the coowner died on

September27,1990,aftertheeffectivityofExecutiveOrder
No.209(TheFamilyCodeofthePhilippines)onAugust3,
1988.(Uy vs. Court of Appeals,232SCRA579[1994])
Atorrenstitlecannotbecollaterallyattacked.Theissue
ofvalidityofatorrenstitle,whetherfraudulentlyissuedor
not, may be posed only in an action brought to impugn or
annul it. (Republic vs. Court of Appeals, 299 SCRA 199
[1998])
o0o
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VOL.333,JUNE16,2000
Laforteza vs. Machuca

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