Pangan vs. Pererras

HEIRS OF CAYETANO PANGAN and CONSUELO PANGAN vs.
SPOUSES
ROGELIO PERRERAS and PRISCILLA PERRERAS
G.R. No. 157374 August 27, 2009 J. Brion
FACTS:
Sps Pangan owned a lot with a two-door apartment. Consuelo agreed to sell
to the respondents for the price of P540,000. Consuelo received P20,000 as earnest
money. Three days later, the parties agreed to increase the purchase price from
P540,000 to P580,000. The Perrerras issued two FEBTC checks payable to Consuelo
in the amounts of P200,000 and P250,000. She refused to accept the checks
because her children, co-owners of the property, did not want to sell it. Consuelo
offered to return the P20,000 earnest money which the Pererras rejected. Consuelo
filed for consignation against the respondents before RTC of Manila. The Perrerras in
turn instituted an action for specific performance against Consuelo before the same
court to execute A Deed of Absolute Sale over the properties. Consuelo claimed that
she was justified in backing out from the agreement on the ground that the sale was
subject to the consent of the other co-owners. The RTC ruled in favour of the
Perrerras upholding the existence of the contract of sale claiming that the earnest
money was an eloquent manifestation of the perfection of the contract and no
agreement on the condition of the consent was present. The CA affirmed the RTCs
decision.
ISSUE:
Whether or not there is a perfected contract of sale.
RULING:
YES. There is a perfected sale.
Article 1318 of the Civil Code declares that no contract exists unless the following
requisites concur: (1) consent of the contracting parties; (2) object certain which is
the subject matter of the contract; and (3) cause of the obligation established. Since
the object of the parties agreement involves properties co-owned by Consuelo and
her children, the petitioners-heirs insist that their approval of the sale initiated by
their mother, Consuelo, was essential to its perfection. Accordingly, their refusal
amounted to the absence of the required element of consent.
That a thing is sold without the consent of all the co-owners does not invalidate the
sale or render it void. Article 493 of the Civil Code8 recognizes the absolute right of
a co-owner to freely dispose of his pro indiviso share as well as the fruits and other
benefits arising from that share, independently of the other co-owners. Thus, when
Consuelo agreed to sell to the respondents the subject properties, what she in fact
sold was her undivided interest that, as quantified by the RTC, consisted of one-half
interest, representing her conjugal share, and one-sixth interest, representing her
hereditary share.
The petitioners-heirs nevertheless argue that Consuelos consent was predicated on
their consent to the sale, and that their disapproval resulted in the withdrawal of
Consuelos consent. Yet, we find nothing in the parties agreement or even conduct
save Consuelos self-serving testimony that would indicate or from which we can
infer that Consuelos consent depended on her childrens approval of the sale. The
explicit terms of the June 8, 1989 receipt9 provide no occasion for any reading that
the agreement is subject to the petitioners-heirs favorable consent to the sale.
The presence of Consuelos consent and, corollarily, the existence of a perfected
contract between the parties are further evidenced by the payment and receipt of
P20,000.00, an earnest money by the contracting parties common usage. The law
on sales, specifically Article 1482 of the Civil Code, provides that whenever earnest
money is given in a contract of sale, it shall be considered as part of the price and
proof of the perfection of the contract. Although the presumption is not conclusive,
as the parties may treat the earnest money differently, there is nothing alleged in
the present case that would give rise to a contrary presumption. In cases where the
Court reached a conclusion contrary to the presumption declared in Article 1482, we
found that the money initially paid was given to guarantee that the buyer would not
back out from the sale, considering thatthe parties to the sale have yet to arrive at
a definite agreement as to its terms that is, a situation where the contract has not
yet been perfected.10 These situations do not obtain in the present case, as neither
of the parties claimed that the P20,000.00 was given merely as guarantee by the
respondents, as vendees, that they would not back out from the sale. As we have
pointed out, the terms of the parties agreement are clear and explicit; indeed, all
the essential elements of a perfected contract are present in this case. While the
respondents required that the occupants vacate the subject properties prior to the
payment of the second installment, the stipulation does not affect the perfection of
the contract, but only its execution.
In sum, the case contains no element, factual or legal, that negates the existence of
a perfected contract between the parties.

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HEIRS OF CAYETANO PANGAN and CONSUELO PANGAN vs.

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