Asiavest V CA

ASIAVEST v COURT OF APPEALS
FACTS:
The petitioner Asiavest Merchant Bankers (M) Berhad is a corporation
organized under the laws of Malaysia while private respondent Philippine
National Construction Corporation is a corporation duly incorporated and
existing under Philippine laws.
Petitioner initiated a suit for collection against private respondent to
recover the indemnity of the performance bond it had put up in favor of
private respondent to guarantee the completion of the Felda Project and
the non-payment of the loan it extended to Asiavest-CDCP Sdn. Bhd. for
the completion of Paloh Hanai and Kuantan By-Pass Project. The High
Court of Malaya rendered judgment in favor of the petitioner. Following
unsuccessful attempts to secure payment from private respondent under
the judgment, petitioner initiated the complaint before Regional Trial Court
of Pasig, Metro Manila, to enforce the judgment of the High Court of
Malaya. Private respondent sought the dismissal of the case via a Motion
to Dismiss contending that the alleged judgment of the High Court of
Malaya should be denied recognition or enforcement since on its face, it is
tainted with want of jurisdiction, want of notice to private respondent,
collusion and/or fraud, and there is a clear mistake of law or fact.
Dismissal was, however, denied by the trial court considering that the
grounds relied upon are not the proper grounds in a motion to dismiss
under Rule 16 of the Revised Rules of Court.
Private respondent filed its Answer and therein raised the grounds it
brought up in its motion to dismiss. In its Reply, the petitioner contended
that the High Court of Malaya acquired jurisdiction over the person of
private respondent by its voluntary submission to the courts jurisdiction
through its appointed counsel, Mr. Khay Chay Tee. Furthermore, private
respondents counsel waived any and all objections to the High Courts
jurisdiction in a pleading filed before the court.
The trial court rendered its Decision dismissing petitioners
complaint. Petitioner interposed an appeal with the Court of Appeals, but
the appellate court dismissed the same and affirmed the decision of the
trial court.
ISSUE:
W/N the CA erred in holding that the Malaysian Court did not acquire
personal jurisdiction over PNCC, notwithstanding that (a) the foreign court
had served summons on PNCC at its Malaysia office, and (b) PNCC itself
appeared by counsel in the case before that court.
HELD:
THE COURT OF APPEALS ERRED IN DENYING RECOGNITION AND
ENFORCEMENT TO (SIC) THE MALAYSIAN COURT JUDGMENT.
Generally, in the absence of a special compact, no sovereign is bound
to give effect within its dominion to a judgment rendered by a tribunal of
another country; however, the rules of comity, utility and convenience of
nations have established a usage among civilized states by which final
judgments of foreign courts of competent jurisdiction are reciprocally
respected and rendered efficacious under certain conditions that may vary
in different countries.
In this jurisdiction, a valid judgment rendered by a foreign tribunal
may be recognized insofar as the immediate parties and the underlying
cause of action are concerned so long as it is convincingly shown that
there has been an opportunity for a full and fair hearing before a court of
competent jurisdiction; that the trial upon regular proceedings has been
conducted, following due citation or voluntary appearance of the
defendant and under a system of jurisprudence likely to secure an
impartial administration of justice; and that there is nothing to indicate
either a prejudice in court and in the system of laws under which it is
sitting or fraud in procuring the judgment.
Under Section 50(b), Rule 39 of the Revised Rules of Court, which was the
governing law at the time the instant case was decided by the trial court
and respondent appellate court, a judgment, against a person, of a
tribunal of a foreign country having jurisdiction to pronounce the same is
presumptive evidence of a right as between the parties and their
successors in interest by a subsequent title. The judgment may, however,
be assailed by evidence of want of jurisdiction, want of notice to the party,
collusion, fraud, or clear mistake of law or fact. In addition, under Section
3(n), Rule 131 of the Revised Rules of Court, a court, whether in the
Philippines or elsewhere, enjoys the presumption that it was acting in the
lawful exercise of its jurisdiction. Hence, once the authenticity of the
foreign judgment is proved, the party attacking a foreign judgment, is
tasked with the burden of overcoming its presumptive validity.
Private respondent failed to sufficiently discharge the burden that fell upon
it to prove by clear and convincing evidence the grounds which it relied
upon to prevent enforcement of the Malaysian High Court judgment,
namely, (a) that jurisdiction was not acquired by the Malaysian Court over
the person of private respondent due to alleged improper service of
summons upon private respondent and the alleged lack of authority of its
counsel to appear and represent private respondent in the suit; (b) the
foreign judgment is allegedly tainted by evident collusion, fraud and clear
mistake of fact or law; and (c) not only were the requisites for enforcement
or recognition allegedly not complied with but also that the Malaysian
judgment is allegedly contrary to the Constitutional prescription that the
every decision must state the facts and law on which it is based.

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