Montecillo Vs Reyes (GR No. 138018)

3/16/2017 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED VOLUME 385
244 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED
Montecillo vs. Reynes
*
G.R. No.138018. July 26, 2002.
RIDO MONTECILLO, petitioner, vs. IGNACIA REYNES and

SPOUSES REDEMPTOR and ELISA ABUCAY, respondents.
Sales; Absent any showing that the vendor had agreed to pay the
purchase price to any other party, the payment to be effective must be made
to the vendor in the sale.—Montecillo’s Deed of Sale does not state that the
P47,000.00 purchase price should be paid by Montecillo to Cebu Ice
Storage. Montecillo failed to adduce any evidence before the trial court
showing that Reynes had agreed, verbally or in writing, that the P47,000.00
purchase price should be paid to Cebu Ice Storage. Absent any evidence
showing that Reynes had agreed to the payment of the purchase price to any
other party, the payment to be effective must be made to Reynes, the vendor
in the sale. Article 1240 of the Civil Code provides as follows: “Payment
shall be made to the person in whose favor the obligation has been
constituted, or his successor in interest, or any person authorized to receive
it.” Thus, Montecillo’s payment to Cebu Ice Storage is not the payment that
would extinguish Montecillo’s obligation to Reynes under the Deed of Sale.
Actions; Petition for Review; In petitions for review on certiorari as a
mode of appeal under Rule 45, a petitioner can raise only questions of law—
the Supreme Court is not the proper venue to consider a factual issue as it is
not a trier of facts.—Thus, Montecillo’s payment to Jayag’s creditor could
not possibly redound to the benefit of Reynes. We find no reason to disturb
the factual findings of the trial court. In petitions for review on certiorari as
a mode of appeal under Rule 45, as in the instant case, a petitioner can raise
only questions of law. This Court is not the proper venue to consider a
factual issue as it is not a trier of facts. Contracts; Requisites.—Under
Article 1318 of the Civil Code, “[T]here is no contract unless the following
requisites concur: (1) Consent of the contracting parties; (2) Object certain
which is the subject matter of the contract; (3) Cause of the obligation which
is established.” Article 1352 of the Civil Code also provides that
“[C]ontracts without cause x x x produce no effect whatsoever.”
Evidence; Appeals; Factual findings of the trial court are binding on
the Supreme Court, especially if the Court of Appeals affirms such findings.
—Factual findings of the trial court are binding on us, especially if
http://www.central.com.ph/sfsreader/session/0000015ad2eabbce2e51e127003600fb002c009e/t/?o=False 1/16
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* THIRD DIVISION.
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VOL. 385, JULY 26, 2002 245
the Court of Appeals affirms such findings. We do not disturb such findings
unless the evidence on record clearly does not support such findings or such
findings are based on a patent misunderstanding of facts, which is not the
case here. Thus, we find no reason to deviate from the findings of both the
trial and appellate courts that no valid consideration supported Montecillo’s
Deed of Sale.
Contracts; Sales; Failure to pay the consideration is different from lack
of consideration—the former results in a right to demand the fulfillment or
cancellation of the obligation under an existing valid contract while the
latter prevents the existence of a valid contract.—This is not merely a case
of failure to pay the purchase price, as Montecillo claims, which can only
amount to a breach of obligation with rescission as the proper remedy. What
we have here is a purported contract that lacks a cause—one of the three
essential requisites of a valid contract. Failure to pay the consideration is
different from lack of consideration. The former results in a right to demand
the fulfillment or cancellation of the obligation under an existing valid
contract while the latter prevents the existence of a valid contract.
Same; Same; Simulated Contracts; Where the deed of sale states that
the purchase price has been paid but in fact has never been paid, the deed of
sale is null and void ab initio for lack of consideration.—Where the deed of
sale states that the purchase price has been paid but in fact has never been
paid, the deed of sale is null and void ab initio for lack of consideration.
This has been the wellsettled rule as early as Ocejo Perez & Co. v. Flores, a
1920 case. As subsequently explained in Mapalo v. Mapalo—“In our view,
therefore, the ruling of this Court in Ocejo Perez & Co. vs. Flores, 40 Phil.
921, is squarely applicable herein. In that case 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.”
Same; Same; The manner of payment of the purchase price is an
essential element before a valid and binding contract of sale can exist—
agreement on the manner of payment goes into the price such that a
disagreement on the manner of payment is tantamount to a failure to agree
on the price.—Montecillo asserts that the only issue in controversy is “the
mode and/or manner of payment and/or whether or not payment has been
made.” Montecillo implies that the mode or manner of payment is separate
from the consideration and does not affect the validity of the contract. In the
recent case of San Miguel Properties Philippines, Inc. v. Huang, we ruled
that—“In Navarro v. Sugar Producers Cooperative Marketing Asso
246
ciation, Inc. (1 SCRA 1181 [1961]), we laid down the rule that the manner
of payment of the purchase price is an essential element before a valid and
binding contract of sale can exist. Although the Civil Code does not
expressly state that the minds of the parties must also meet on the terms or
manner of payment of the price, the same is needed, otherwise there is no
sale. As held in Toyota Shaw, Inc. v. Court of Appeals (244 SCRA 320
[1995]), agreement on the manner of payment goes into the price such that a
disagreement on the manner of payment is tantamount to a failure to agree
on the price.” (Emphasis supplied)
Same; Same; In a contract of sale, the parties must agree not only on
the price, but also on the manner of payment of the price.—One of the three
essential requisites of a valid contract is consent of the parties on the object
and cause of the contract. In a contract of sale, the parties must agree not
only on the price, but also on the manner of payment of the price. An
agreement on the price but a disagreement on the manner of its payment will
not result in consent, thus preventing the existence of a valid contract for
lack of consent. This lack of consent is separate and distinct from lack of
consideration where the contract states that the price has been paid when in
fact it has never been paid.
PETITION for review on certiorari of a decision of the Court of
Appeals.
The facts are stated in the opinion of the Court.
Francisco M. Malilong, Jr. for petitioner.
V.L. Legaspi for private respondents.
CARPIO, J.:
The Case
On March 24, 1993, the Regional Trial Court of Cebu City, Branch
1
18, rendered a Decision declaring the deed of sale of a parcel of
land in favor

2
of petitioner null and 3void ab initio. The Court of
Appeals, in its July 16, 1998 Decision as well as its Feb
_______________
1 Penned by Judge Galicano C. Arriesgado; Records of Civil Case No. CEB2335,
pp. 7077.
2 Fourth Division composed of Justices Omar U. Amin (ponente), Minerva P.
GonzagaReyes (now retired Justice of the Supreme Court) and Hector L. Hofilena;
CAG.R. CV No. 41349.
3 Rollo, pp. 1824.
247
VOL. 385, JULY 26, 2002 247
4
ruary 11, 1999 Order denying petitioner’s Motion for
Reconsideration, affirmed the trial court’s decision in
5
toto. Before
this Court now is a Petition for Review on Certiorari assailing the
Court of Appeals’ decision and order.
The Facts
Respondents Ignacia Reynes (“Reynes” for brevity) and Spouses

Abucay (“Abucay Spouses” for brevity) filed on June 20, 1984 a
complaint for Declaration of Nullity and Quieting of Title against
petitioner Rido Montecillo (“Montecillo” for brevity). Reynes
asserted that she is the owner of a lot situated in Mabolo, Cebu City,
covered by Transfer Certificate of Title No. 74196 and containing an
area of 448 square meters (“Mabolo Lot” for brevity). In 1981,
Reynes sold 185 square meters of the Mabolo Lot to the Abucay
Spouses who built a residential house on the lot they bought.
Reynes alleged further that on March 1, 1984 she signed a Deed
of Sale of the Mabolo Lot in favor of Montecillo (“Montecillo’s
6
Deed of Sale” for brevity).
7
Reynes, being illiterate, signed by
affixing her thumbmark on the document. Montecillo promised to
pay the agreed P47,000.00 purchase price within one month from
the signing of the Deed of Sale. Montecillo’s Deed of Sale states as
follows:
“That I, IGNACIA T. REYNES, of legal age, Filipino, widow, with
residence and postal address at Mabolo, Cebu City, Philippines, for and in
consideration of FORTY SEVEN THOUSAND (P47,000.00) PESOS,
Philippine Currency, to me in hand paid by RIDO MONTECILLO, of legal
age, Filipino, married, with residence and postal address at Mabolo, Cebu
City, Philippines, the receipt hereof is hereby acknowledged, have sold,
transferred, and conveyed, unto RIDO MONTECILLO, his heirs, executors,
_______________
4 Rollo, pp. 1415; signed by Justice Omar U. Amin and concurred in by Justices Hector L.
Hofilena and Presbitero J. Velasco, Jr. (now Court Administrator of the Supreme Court).
5 Under Rule 45 of the Revised Rules on Civil Procedure.
6 TSN dated December 16, 1987, crossexamination of Natividads Branzuela, p. 3.
7 TSN dated October 27, 1987, crossexamination of Ignacia Reynes, p. 5; Exhibit “1”,
Defendant’s Offer of Exhibits dated August 26, 1989.
248
administrators, and assigns, forever, a parcel of land together with the
improvements thereon, situated at Mabolo, Cebu City, Philippines, free from
all liens and encumbrances, and more particularly described as follows:
A parcel of land (Lot 203B2B of the subdivision plan Psd070100 2370, being a
portion of Lot 203B2, described on plan (LRC) Psd76821, L.R.C. (GLRO) Record
No. 5988), situated in the Barrio of Mabolo, City of Cebu. Bounded on the SE., along
line 12 by Lot 206; on the SW., along line 23, by Lot 202, both of Banilad Estate; on
the NW., along line 45, by Lot 203B2A of the subdivision of Four Hundred Forty
Eight (448) square meters, more or less.
of which I am the absolute owner in accordance with the provisions of the
Land Registration Act, my title being evidenced by Transfer Certificate of
Title No. 74196 of the Registry of Deeds of the City of Cebu, Philippines.
That This
8
Land Is Not Tenanted and Does Not Fall Under the Purview of
P.D. 27.” (Emphasis supplied)
Reynes further alleged that Montecillo failed to pay the purchase
price after the lapse of the onemonth period, prompting Reynes to
demand from Montecillo the return of the Deed 9
of Sale. Since
Montecillo refused to return the Deed of Sale, Reynes executed a
document unilaterally revoking the sale and gave a copy of the
document to Montecillo.
Subsequently, on May 23, 1984 Reynes signed a Deed of Sale
transferring to the Abucay Spouses the entire Mabolo Lot, at the
same time confirming the previous sale in 1981 of a 185square
meter portion of the lot. This Deed of Sale states:
“I, IGNACIA T. REYNES, of legal age, Filipino, widow and resident of
Mabolo, Cebu City, do hereby confirm the sale of a portion of Lot No.
74196 to an extent of 185 square meters to Spouses Redemptor Abucay and
Elisa Abucay covered by Deed per Doc. No. 47, Page No. 9, Book No. V,
Series of 1981 of notarial register of Benedicto Alo, of which spouses is
now in occupation;
That for and in consideration of the total sum of FIFTY THOUSAND
(P50,000) PESOS, Philippine Currency, received in full and receipt
_______________
8 Records of Civil Case No. CEB2335, p. 115.
9 TSN dated August 26, 1985, direct testimony of Bartolome Reynes, p. 29.
249
VOL. 385, JULY 26, 2002 249
whereof is herein acknowledged from SPOUSES REDEMPTOR ABUCAY
and ELISA ABUCAY, do hereby in these presents, SELL, TRANSFER and
CONVEY absolutely unto said Spouses Redemptor Abucay and Elisa
Abucay, their heirs, assigns and successorsininterest thewhole parcel of
land together with improvements thereon and more particularly described as
follows:
TCT No. 74196
A parcel of land (Lot 203B2B of the subdivision plan psd0701002370, being a
portion of Lot 203B2, described on plan (LRC) Psd 76821, LRC (GLRO) Record No.
5988) situated in Mabolo, Cebu City, along Arcilla Street, containing an area of total
FOUR HUNDRED FORTY EIGHT (448) Square meters.
of which I am the absolute owner thereof free from all liens and
encumbrances and warrant the same against claim of third persons and other
deeds affecting said parcel of land other than that to the said spouses and
inconsistent hereto is declared without any effect.
In witness whereof, 10I hereunto signed this 23rd day of May, 1984 in
Cebu City, Philippines.”
Reynes and the Abucay Spouses alleged that on June 18, 1984 they
received information that the Register of Deeds of Cebu City issued
Certificate of Title No. 90805 in the name of Montecillo for the
Mabolo Lot.
Reynes and the Abucay Spouses argued that “for 11
lack of
consideration there (was) no meeting of the minds” between
Reynes and Montecillo. Thus, the trial court should declare null and
void ab initio Montecillo’s Deed of Sale, and order the cancellation
of Certificate of Title No. 90805 in the name of Montecillo.
In his Answer, 12
Montecillo, a bank executive with a B.S.
Commerce degree, claimed he was a buyer in good faith and had
actually paid the P47,000.00 consideration stated in his Deed of
Sale. Montecillo, however, admitted he still owed Reynes a balance
of P10,000.00. He also alleged that he paid P50,000.00 for the
release of the chattel mortgage which he argued constituted a lien on
the
_______________
11 Amended Complaint dated December 4,1984, p. 2.
12 TSN dated December 19, 1988, crossexamination of Rido Montecillo, p. 8.
250
Mabolo Lot. He further alleged that he paid for the real property tax
as well as the capital gains tax on the sale of the Mabolo Lot.
In their Reply, Reynes and the Abucay Spouses contended that
Montecillo did not have authority to discharge the chattel mortgage,
especially after Reynes revoked Montecillo’s Deed of Sale and gave
the mortgagee a copy of the document of revocation. Reynes and the
Abucay Spouses claimed that Montecillo secured the release of the
chattel mortgage through machination. They further asserted that
Montecillo took advantage of the real property taxes paid by the
Abucay Spouses and surreptitiously caused the transfer of the title to
the Mabolo Lot in his name.
During pretrial, Montecillo claimed that the consideration for
the sale of the Mabolo Lot was the amount he paid to Cebu Ice and,
Cold Storage Corporation, (“Cebu Ice Storage” for brevity) for the
mortgage debt of Bienvenido Jayag (“Jayag” for brevity).
Montecillo argued that the release of the mortgage was necessary
since the mortgage constituted a lien on the Mabolo Lot.
Reynes, however, stated that she had nothing to do with Jayag’s
mortgage debt except that the house mortgaged by Jayag stood on a
portion of the Mabolo Lot. Reynes further stated that the payment by
Montecillo to release the mortgage on Jayag’s house is a matter
between Montecillo and Jayag. The mortgage on the house, being a
chattel mortgage, could not be interpreted in any way as an
encumbrance on the Mabolo Lot. Reynes further claimed that the
mortgage debt had long prescribed since the P47,000.00 mortgage
debt was due for payment on January 30, 1967.
The trial court rendered a decision on March 24, 1993 declaring
the Deed of Sale to Montecillo null and void. The trial court ordered
the cancellation of Montecillo’s Transfer Certificate of Title No.
90805 and the issuance of a new certificate of title in favor of the
Abucay Spouses. The trial court found that Montecillo’s Deed of
Sale had no cause or consideration because Montecillo never paid
Reynes the P47,000.00 purchase price, contrary to what is stated in
the Deed of Sale that Reynes received the purchase price. The trial
court ruled that Montecillo’s Deed of Sale produced no effect
whatsoever for want of consideration. The dispositive portion of the
trial court’s decision reads as follows:
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VOL. 385, JULY 26, 2002 251
“WHEREFORE, in view of the foregoing consideration, judgment is hereby
rendered declaring the deed of sale in favor of defendant null and void and of
no force and effect thereby ordering the cancellation of Transfer Certificate
of Title No. 90805 of the Register of Deeds of Cebu City and to declare
plaintiff Spouses Redemptor and Elisa Abucay as rightful vendees and
Transfer Certificate of Title to the property subject matter of the suit issued
in their names. The defendants are further directed to pay moral damages in
the sum of P20,000.00 and attorney’s fees in the sum of P2,000.00 plus cost
of the suit.
x x x”
Not satisfied with the trial court’s Decision, Montecillo appealed the
same to the Court of Appeals.
Ruling of the Court of Appeals
The appellate court affirmed

13
the Decision of the trial court in toto
and dismissed the appeal on the ground that Montecillo’s Deed of
Sale is void for lack of consideration. The appellate
14
court also
denied Montecillo’s Motion for Reconsideration on the ground that
it raised no new arguments.
Still dissatisfied, Montecillo filed the present petition for review
on certiorari.
The Issues
Montecillo raises the following issues:
1. “Was there an agreement between Reynes and Montecillo

that the stated consideration of P47,000.00 in the Deed of
Sale be paid to Cebu Ice and Cold Storage to secure the
release of the Transfer Certificate of Title?”
2. “If there was none, is the Deed
15
of Sale void from the
beginning or simply rescissible?”
_______________
13 Rollo, pp. 1824; Court of Appeals Decision dated July 16, 1998.
14 Rollo, pp. 1415; Court of Appeals Resolution dated February 11, 1999.
15 Rollo, p. 66; Petitioner’s Memorandum dated May 25, 2000.
252
The Ruling of the Court
The petition is devoid of merit.
First Issue: manner of payment of the P47,000.00 purchase price.
Montecillo’s Deed of Sale does not state that the P47,000.00
purchase price should be paid by Montecillo to Cebu Ice Storage.
Montecillo failed to adduce any evidence before the trial court
showing that Reynes had agreed, verbally or in writing, that the
P47,000.00 purchase price should be paid to Cebu Ice Storage.
Absent any evidence showing that Reynes had agreed to the
payment of the purchase price to any other party, the payment to be
effective must be made to Reynes, the vendor in the sale. Article
1240 of the Civil Code provides as follows:
“Payment shall be made to the person in whose favor the obligation has been
constituted, or his successor in interest, or any person authorized to receive
it.”
Thus, Montecillo’s payment to Cebu Ice Storage is not the payment
16
that would extinguish Montecillo’s obligation to Reynes under the
Deed of Sale.
It militates against common sense for Reynes to sell her Mabolo
Lot for P47,000.00 if this entire amount would only go to Cebu Ice
Storage, leaving not a single centavo to her for giving up ownership
of a valuable property. This incredible allegation of Montecillo
becomes even more absurd when one considers that Reynes did not
benefit, directly or indirectly, from the payment of the P47,000.00 to
Cebu Ice Storage.
The trial court found that Reynes had nothing to do with Jayag’s
mortgage debt with Cebu Ice Storage. The trial court made the
following findings of fact:
“x x x. Plaintiff Ignacia Reynes was not a party to nor privy of the obligation
in favor of the Cebu Ice and Cold Storage Corporation, the obligation
_______________
16 Article 1231 of the Civil Code provides as follows: “Obligations are extinguished: (1) By
payment or Performance; x x x.”
253
VOL. 385, JULY 26, 2002 253
being exclusively of Bienvenido Jayag and wife who mortgaged their
residential house constructed on the land subject matter of the complaint.
The payment by the defendant to release the residential house from the
mortgage is a matter between him and Jayag and cannot by implication
17
or
deception be made to appear as an encumbrance upon the land.”
Thus, Montecillo’s payment

18
to Jayag’s creditor could not possibly
redound to the benefit of Reynes. We find no reason to disturb the
factual findings of the trial court. In petitions for review on certiorari
as a mode of appeal under Rule 45, as in the instant case, a petitioner
19
can raise only questions of law. This Court is not the proper venue
to consider a factual issue as it is not a trier of facts.
Second issue: whether the Deed of Sale is void ab initio or only
rescissible.
Under Article 1318 of the Civil Code, “[T]here is no contract unless
the following requisites concur: (1) Consent of the contracting
parties; (2) Object certain which is the subject matter of the contract;
(3) Cause of the obligation which is established.” Article 1352 of the
Civil Code also provides that “[C]ontracts without cause x x x
produce no effect whatsoever.”
Montecillo argues that his Deed of Sale has all the requisites of a
valid contract. Montecillo points out that he agreed to purchase, and
Reynes agreed to sell, the Mabolo Lot at the price of P47,000.00.
Thus, the three requisites for a valid contract concur: consent, object
certain and consideration. Montecillo asserts there is no lack of
consideration that would prevent the existence of a valid contract.
Rather, there is only nonpayment of the consideration within the
period agreed upon for payment.
Montecillo argues there is only a breach of his obligation to pay
the full purchase price on time. Such breach merely gives Reynes a
right to ask for specific performance, or for annulment of the
obligation to sell the Mabolo Lot. Montecillo maintains that in
recipro
_______________
17 Records of Civil Case No. CEB2335, pp. 134135.
18 The second paragraph of Article 1241 of the Civil Code provides as follows:
“Payment made to a third person shall also be valid insofar as it has redounded to the
benefit of the creditor. x x x.”
19 Cormero v. Court of Appeals, 247 SCRA 291 (1995).
254
cal obligations, the injured party can choose between fulfillment and
20
rescission, 21or more properly cancellation, of the obligation under
Article 1191 of the Civil Code. This Article also provides that the
“court shall decree the rescission claimed, unless there be just cause
authorizing the fixing of the period.” Montecillo claims that because
Reynes failed to make a demand for payment, and instead
unilaterally revoked Montecillo’s Deed of Sale, the court has a just
cause to fix the period for payment of the balance of the purchase
price.
These arguments are not persuasive.
Montecillo’s Deed of Sale states that Montecillo paid, and
Reynes received, the P47,000.00 purchase price on March 1, 1984,
the date of signing of the Deed of Sale. This is clear from the
following provision of the Deed of Sale:
“That I, IGNACIA T. REYNES, x x x for and in consideration of FORTY

SEVEN THOUSAND (P47,000.00) PESOS, Philippine Currency, to me in
hand paid by RIDO MONTECILLO x x x, receipt of which is hereby
acknowledged, have sold, transferred, and conveyed, unto RIDO
MONTECILLO, x x x a parcel of land x x x.”
_______________
20 As used here, the term rescission refers to cancellation of a reciprocal obligation
under Article 1191 of the Civil Code, and does not mean a rescissible contract under
Article 1381 of the same Code.
21 Article 1191 of the Civil Code provides as follows:
“The power to rescind obligations is implied in reciprocal ones, in case one of the obligors
should not comply with what is incumbent upon him.
The inured party may choose between the fulfillment and the rescission of the obligation,
with the payment of damages in either case. He may also seek rescission, even after he has
chosen fulfillment if the latter should become impossible.
The court shall decree the rescission claimed, unless there bes just cause authorizing the
fixing of the period.
This is understood to be without prejudice to the rights of third persons who have acquired
the thing in accordance with Articles 1385 and 1388 and the Mortgage Law.”
255
VOL. 385, JULY 26, 2002 255
22
On its face, Montecillo’s Deed of Absolute Sale appears supported
by a valuable consideration. However, based on the evidence
presented by both Reynes and Montecillo, the trial court found that
Montecillo never paid to Reynes, and Reynes never received from
Montecillo, the P47,000.00 purchase price. There was indisputably a
total absence of consideration contrary to what is stated in
Montecillo’s Deed of Sale. As pointed out by the trial court—
“From the allegations in the pleadings of both parties and the oral and
documentary evidence adduced during the trial, the court is convinced that
the Deed of Sale (Exhibits “1” and “1A”) executed by plaintiff Ignacia
Reynes acknowledged before Notary Public Ponciano Alvinio is devoid of
any consideration. Plaintiff Ignacia Reynes through the representation of
Baudillo Baladjay had executed a Deed of Sale in favor of defendant on the
promise that the consideration should be paid within one (1) month from the
execution of the Deed of Sale. However, after the lapse of said period,
defendant failed to pay even a single centavo of the consideration. The
answer of the defendant did not allege clearly why no consideration was paid
by him except for the allegation that he had a balance of only P10,000.00. It
turned out during the pretrial that what the defendant considered as the
consideration was the amount which he paid for the obligation of Bienvenido
Jayag with the Cebu Ice and Cold Storage Corporation over which plaintiff
Ignacia Reynes did not have a part except that the subject of the mortgage
was constructed on the parcel of land in question. Plaintiff Ignacia Reynes
was not a party to nor privy of the obligation in favor of the Cebu Ice and
Cold Storage Corporation, the obligation being exclusively of Bienvenido
Jayag and wife who mortgaged their residential house constructed on the
land subject matter of the complaint. The payment by the defendant to
release the residential house from the mortgage is a matter between him and
Jayag and cannot by implication
23
or deception be made to appear as an
encumbrance upon the land.”
Factual findings of the trial court are binding on us, especially if the
24
Court of Appeals affirms such findings. We do not disturb such
findings unless the evidence on record clearly does not support such
findings or such findings are based on a patent misun
_______________
23 Records of Civil Case No. CEB2335, pp. 134135.
24 Philippine National Construction Corporation v. Mars Construction

Enterprises, Inc., 325 SCRA 624 (2000).
256
25
derstanding of facts, which is not the case here. Thus, we find no
25
derstanding of facts, which is not the case here. Thus, we find no
reason to deviate from the findings of both the trial and appellate
courts that no valid consideration supported Montecillo’s Deed of
Sale.
This is not merely a case of failure to pay the purchase price, as
Montecillo claims, which can only amount to a breach of obligation
with rescission as the proper remedy. What we have here is a
purported contract that lacks a cause—one of the three essential
requisites of a valid contract. Failure to pay the consideration is
different from lack of consideration. The former results in a right to
demand the fulfillment 26
or cancellation of the obligation under an
existing valid contract while the latter prevents the existence of a
valid contract.
Where the deed of sale states that the purchase price has been
paid but in fact has never been paid, the deed of sale is null and void
ab initio for lack of consideration. This has been the wellsettled rule
27
as early as Ocejo Perez & Co. v. Flores, 28
a 1920 case. As
subsequently explained in Mapalo v. Mapalo —
“In our view, therefore, the ruling of this Court in Ocejo Perez & Co. vs.
Flores, 40 Phil. 921, is squarely applicable herein. In that case 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.”
The Court reiterated

29
this rule in Vda. De Catindig v. Heirs of
Catalina Roque, to wit—
“The Appellate Court’s finding that the price was not paid or that the
statement in the supposed contracts of sale (Exh. “6” to “26”) as to the
_______________
25 Austria v. Court of Appeals, 327 SCRA 668 (2000).
26 San Miguel Properties Philippines, Inc. v. Huang, 336 SCRA 737 (2000), citing Ang Yu
Asuncion v. Court of Appeals, 238 SCRA 602 (1994).
27 40 Phil. 921.
28 17 SCRA 114.
29 74 SCRA 83 (1976); See also Rongavilla v. Court of Appeals, 294 SCRA 289 (1998); Yu
Bun Guan v. Elvira Ong, G.R. No. 144735, October 18, 2001, 367 SCRA 559.
257
VOL. 385, JULY 26, 2002 257
payment of the price was simulated fortifies the view that the alleged sales
were void. “If the price is simulated, the sale is void . . .” (Art. 1471, Civil
Code)
A contract of sale is void and produces no effect whatsoever where the
price, which appears thereon as paid, has in fact never been paid by the
purchaser to the vendor (Ocejo, Perez & Co. vs. Flores and Bas, 40 Phil.
921; Mapalo vs. Mapalo, L21489, May 19, 1966, 64 O.G. 331, 17 SCRA
114, 122). Such a sale is nonexistent (Borromeo vs. Borromeo, 98 Phil.
432) or cannot be considered consummated (Cruzado vs. Bustos and
Escaler, 34 Phil. 17; Garanciang vs. Garanciang, L22351, May 21, 1969,
28 SCRA 229).”
Applying this wellentrenched doctrine to the instant case, we rule
that Montecillo’s Deed of Sale is null and void ab initio for lack of
consideration.
Montecillo asserts that the only issue in controversy is “the mode
and/or manner of payment and/or whether or not payment has been
30
made.” Montecillo implies that the mode or manner of payment is
separate from the consideration and does not affect the validity of
the contract. In the recent case of San Miguel Properties Philippines,
31
Inc. v. Huang, we ruled that—
“In Navarro v. Sugar Producers Cooperative Marketing Association, Inc. (1
SCRA 1181 [1961]), we laid down the rule that the manner of payment of
the purchase price is an essential element before a valid and binding contract
of sale can exist. Although the Civil Code does not expressly state that the
minds of the parties must also meet on the terms or manner of payment of
the price, the same is needed, otherwise there is no sale. As held in Toyota
Shaw, Inc. v. Court of Appeals (244 SCRA 320 [1995]), agreement on the
manner of payment goes into the price such that a disagreement on the
manner of payment is tantamount to a failure to agree on the price.”
(Emphasis supplied)
One of the three essential requisites of a valid contract is consent of
the parties on the object and cause of the contract. In a contract of
sale, the parties must agree not only on the price, but also on the
manner of payment of the price. An agreement on the price but a
disagreement on the manner of its payment will not
_______________
30 Rollo, p. 8; Petition, p. 6.
31 336 SCRA 737 (2000).
258
result in consent, thus preventing the existence of a valid contract for
lack of consent. This lack of consent is separate and distinct from
lack of consideration where the contract states that the price has
been paid when in fact it has never been paid.
Reynes expected Montecillo to pay him directly the P47,000.00
purchase price within one month after the signing of the Deed of
Sale. On the other hand, Montecillo thought that his agreement with
Reynes required him to pay the P47,000.00 purchase price to Cebu
Ice Storage to settle Jayag’s mortgage debt. Montecillo also
acknowledged a balance of P10,000.00 in favor of Reynes although
this amount is not stated in Montecillo’s Deed of Sale. Thus, there
was no consent, or meeting of the minds, between Reynes and
Montecillo on the manner of payment. This prevented the existence
of a valid contract because of lack of consent.
In summary, Montecillo’s Deed of Sale is null and void ab initio
not only for lack of consideration, but also for lack of consent. The
cancellation of TCT No. 90805 in the name of Montecillo is in order
as there was no valid contract transferring ownership of the Mabolo
Lot from Reynes to Montecillo.
WHEREFORE, the petition is DENIED and the assailed
Decision dated July 16, 1998 of the Court of Appeals in CAG.R.
CV No. 41349 is AFFIRMED. Costs against petitioner.
SO ORDERED.
Puno (Chairman), Panganiban and SandovalGutierrez, JJ.,
concur.
Petition denied, judgment affirmed.
Notes.—A definite agreement on the manner of payment of the
price is an essential element in the formation of a binding and
enforceable contract of sale. (Co vs. Court of Appeals, 286 SCRA 76
[1998])
Neither acceptance of partial payment nor change of place or
manner of payment involves novation, for novation cannot be
presumed but must be expressly intended by the parties. (Diongzon
vs. Court of Appeals, 321 SCRA 477 [1999])
——o0o——
259
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Montecillo Vs Reyes (GR No. 138018)

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Montecillo Vs Reyes (GR No. 138018)

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3/16/2017 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ANNOTATED VOLUME 385

RIDO MONTECILLO, petitioner, vs. IGNACIA REYNES and

land in favor

Respondents Ignacia Reynes (“Reynes” for brevity) and Spouses

The appellate court affirmed

1. “Was there an agreement between Reynes and Montecillo

Thus, Montecillo’s payment

“That I, IGNACIA T. REYNES, x x x for and in consideration of FORTY

24 Philippine National Construction Corporation v. Mars Construction

The Court reiterated

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