G.R. No. 124293 January 31, 2005: JG Summit Holdings INC. vs. Court of Appeals

JG Summit Holdings INC. vs. Court of Appeals G.R. No.
124293 January 31, 2005

Facts: The National Investment and Development Corporation (NIDC), a government corporation, entered into a Joint Venture
Agreement (JVA) with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. of Kobe, Japan (KAWASAKI) for the construction, operation and management of the Subic National Shipyard Inc., (SNS) which subsequently became the Philippine Shipyard and Engineering Corporation (PHILSECO). Under the JVA, the NDC and KAWASAKI will contribute P330M for the capitalization of PHILSECO in the proportion of 60%-40% respectively. One of its salient features is the grant to the parties of the right of first refusal should either of them decide to sell, assign or transfer its interest in the joint venture. NIDC transferred all its rights, title and interest in PHILSECO to the Philippine National Bank (PNB). Such interests were subsequently transferred to the National Government pursuant to an Administrative Order. When the former President Aquino issued Proclamation No. 50 establishing the Committee on Privatization (COP) and the Asset Privatization Trust (APT) to take title to, and possession of, conserve, manage and dispose of non-performing assets of the National Government, a trust agreement was entered into between the National Government and the APT wherein the latter was named the trustee of the National Governments share in PHILSECO. In the interest of the national economy and the government, the COP and the APT deemed it best to sell the National Governments share in PHILSECO to private entities. After a series of negotiations between the APT and KAWASAKI , they agreed that the latters right of first refusal under the JVA be exchanged for the right to top by 5%, the highest bid for the said shares. They further agreed that KAWASAKI woul.d be entitled to name a company in which it was a stockholder, which could exercise the right to top. KAWASAKI then informed APT that Philyards Holdings, Inc. (PHI) would exercise its right to top. At the public bidding, petitioner J.G. Summit Holdings Inc. submitted a bid of Two Billion and Thirty Million Pesos (Php2,030,000,000.00) with an acknowledgement of KAWASAKI/PHILYARDS right to top. As petitioner was declared the highest bidder, the COP approved the sale subject to the right of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Inc. / PHILYARDS Holdings Inc. to top JGs bid by 5% as specified in the bidding rules. On the other hand, the respondent by virtue of right to top by 5%, the highest bid for the said shares timely exercised the same. Petitioners, in their motion for reconsideration, raised, inter alia, the issue on the maintenance of the 60%-40% relationship between the NIDC and KAWASAKI arising from the Constitution because PHILSECO is a landholding corporation and need not be a public utility to be bound by the 60%-40% constitutional limitation.
ISSUE:
Whether or not the respondent is prohibited to possess the disputed property considering the prohibition stipulated in the 1987 Constitution against foreign owned companies.
RULING:
The court upheld the validity of the mutual rights of first refusal under the JVA between KAWASAKI and NIDC.
1. The right of first refusal is a property right of PHILSECO shareholders, KAWASAKI and NIDC, under the terms of their JVA. This right allows them to purchase the shares of their co-shareholder before they are offered to
a third party. The agreement of co-shareholders to mutually grant this right to each other, by itself, does not constitute a violation of the provisions of the Constitution limiting land ownership to Filipinos and Filipino corporations. As PHILYARDS correctly puts it, if PHILSECO still owns the land, the right of first refusal can be validly assigned to a qualified Filipino entity in order to maintain the 60%-40% ration. This transfer by itself, does not amount to a violation of the Anti-Dummy Laws, absent proof of any fraudulent
intent. The transfer could be made either to a nominee or such other party which the holder of the right of first refusal feels it can comfortably do business with. Alternatively, PHILSECO may divest of its landholdings, in which case KAWASAKI, in exercising its right of first refusal, can exceed 40% of PHILSECOs equity. In fact, in can even be said that if the foreign shareholdings of a landholding corporation exeeds 40%, it is not the foreign stockholders ownership of the shares which is adversely affected but the capacity of the corporation to won landthat is, the corporation becomes disqualified to own land. This finds support under the basic corporate law principle that the corporation and its stockholders are separate judicial entities. In this vein, the right of first refusal over shares pertains to the shareholders whereas the capacity to own land pertains to the corporation.
No law disqualifies a person from purchasing shares in a landholding corporation even if the latter will exceed the allowed foreign equity, what the law disqualifies is the corporation from owning land.
Hence, the fact that PHILSECO owns land cannot deprive stockholders of their right of first refusal.

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JG Summit Holdings INC. vs. Court of Appeals G.R. No.

124293 January 31, 2005

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