G.R. No. L-21489 and L-21628, 19 May 1966, 17 SCRA 114

FACTS:

The spouses Miguel Mapalo and Candida Quiba, simple illiterate farmers, were registered owners, with Torrens title certificate O.C.T. No. 46503, of a 1,635-square-meter residential land. Spouses-owners, out of love and affection for Maximo Mapalo — a brother of Miguel who was about to get married — decided to donate the eastern half of the land to him. O.C.T. No. 46503 was delivered. As a result, however, they were deceived into signing, a deed of absolute sale over the entire land in his favor. Their signatures thereto were procured by fraud, that is, they were made to believe by Maximo Mapalo and by the attorney who acted as notary public who “translated” the document, that the same was a deed of donation in Maximo’s favor covering one-half (the eastern half) of their land. Although the document of sale stated a consideration of Five Hundred (P500.00) Pesos, the aforesaid spouses did not receive anything of value for the land.

Not known to them, Maximo Mapalo, registered the deed of sale in his favor and obtained in his name Transfer Certificate of Title over the entire land. Thirteen years later, he sold for P2,500.00 said entire land in favor of Evaristo, Petronila Pacifico and Miguel all surnamed Narciso. The sale to the Narcisos was in turn registered and Transfer Certificate of Title was issued for the whole land in their names.

The Narcisos filed suit to be declared owners of the entire land, for possession of its western portion; for damages; and for rentals. The Mapalo spouses filed their answer with a counterclaim, seeking cancellation of the Transfer Certificate of Title of the Narcisos as to the western half of the land, on the grounds that their (Mapalo spouses) signatures to the deed of sale was procured by fraud and that the Narcisos were buyers in bad faith. They asked for reconveyance to them of the western portion of the land and issuance of a Transfer Certificate of Title in their names as to said portion.

The Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeals are therefore unanimous that the spouses Mapalo and Quiba were definitely the victims of fraud. It was only on prescription that they lost in the Court of Appeals. From said decision of the Court of Appeals, the Mapalo spouses appealed to this Court.

ISSUE:

Whether a deed which states a consideration that in fact did not exist, is a contract without consideration, and therefore void ab initio, or a contract with a false consideration, and therefore, at least under the Old Civil Code, voidable.

RULING:

The contract involves a no consideration.

The rule under the Civil Code, again be it the old or the new, is that contracts without a cause or consideration produce no effect whatsoever. Nonetheless, under the Old Civil Code, the statement of a false consideration renders the contract voidable, unless it is proven that it is supported by another real and licit consideration. And it is further provided by the Old Civil Code that the action for annulment of a contract on the ground of falsity of consideration shall last four years, the term to run from the date of the consummation of the contract. According to Manresa, what is meant by a contract that states a false consideration is one that has in fact a real consideration but the same is not the one stated in the document.

In the present case, the contract of sale has no consideration and therefore it is void and inexistent. The deed of sale stated the amount of P500 as its consideration, however, said consideration was totally absent. Purchase price which appears thereon as paid has in fact never been paid by the purchaser to vendor. Such statemet will not suffice to bring it under the rule of Article 1276 of the Old Civil Code as stating a false consideration.

Therefore, We ruled that a contract of purchase and sale is null and void and produces no effect whatsoever where the same is without cause or consideration in that the purchase price which appears thereon as paid has in fact never been paid by the purchaser to the vendor. Needless to add, the inexistence of a contract is permanent and incurable and cannot be the subject of prescription.

*Case Digest by Doreena Pauline V. Aranal, JD – 4, Andres Bonifacio College, SY 2019 – 2020