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[TESTATE ESTATE OF DFIA. PERPETUA A. VDA. DE SORIANO. DOLORES ALIBORNOZ v. DOLORES ALBORNOZ](https://www.lawyerly.ph/juris/view/c2f46?user=fbGU2WFpmaitMVEVGZ2lBVW5xZ2RVdz09)
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98 Phil. 785

[ G.R. No. L-7801, April 13, 1956 ]

TESTATE ESTATE OF DFIA. PERPETUA A. VDA. DE SORIANO. DOLORES ALIBORNOZ, PETITIONER. ELIAS RACELA, CLAIMANT AND APPELLANT, VS. DOLORES ALBORNOZ AND JOSE ALBORNOZ, CO-SPECIAL ADMINISTRATORS OPPOSITORS AND APPELLEES.

D E C I S I O N

LABRADOR, J.:

The present  appeal  refers to  two  claims presented  by Elias Racela against the estate of  the deceased Perpetua A. Vda. de Soriano and which were dismissed' by the trial court. The ftrst claim is based on  a supposed sale of one hectare of land for P1,000  executed  by the  decedent  on July 18,1933 in favor of the claimant.  The second is based on another supposed sale of another part of the defendant's land for P1,000 also, in favor of the claimant, made on September 23, 1933.   The  supposed sales  appear in two deeds marked Exhibits "A" and "B".  After the supposed sales were  made, the decedent sold the same  parcels of land in 1934  to one Soriano Ballesteros,  who succeeded in registering the deed of sale in his favor,  blaimant attempted to register the deeds executed in his favor but the decedent opposed  registration.  So  claimant brought  a criminal action against the decedent for estafa (Criminal Case No. 6406 of the Court of First Instance of Ilocos Norte).  The court  acquitted the decedent of the charge,  a portion of the decision and the dispositive part thereof is as follows:
"Analizados  estos  hechos, el Juzgado  se  inclina a  creer  como asi  cree  que Elias  Kacela no ha  entregado  ninguna cantidad de dinero  a la acusada como pago de la venta, alegada por la acusacion * * *

"Es.  digna de credito  la  pretension  de la acusada  de  que  los dos escrituxas marcadas Exhibitos 'A' y 'B' han sido otorgadas por ella  solamente  para  que Elias Racela  pudiera  convencer  a  los vecinos del barrio dc Biding, Dingra's, Ilocos Norte,  que la acusada podia  disponer  libremente de sus bienes? El Juagado  fundandose en los  hechos arriba expuestos, es de opinion que gi. *  *  *.  Este acto de ]a acusada a juicio del Juzgado,  es compatible  con su creencia  de  que en ninguna oeaslon habla  vendido  terrenoa  a  Elias Racela  *  * *.

*           *           *           *           *           *           *           *

"A la  luz de las. consideraciones de  hechos arriba apuntadas  el Juzgado duda de la verdad de la teoria  de la acusacion y, por ende, la acusada tiene derecho a los beneficios do esta  duda.  Pero esta conclusion del  Juzgado no priva a Elias Racela de su derecno de presentar una aecion civil contra la aqui  acusada, si se que todavia no estan pagados  bus  lionorarios por los servicios  prestados a  la misma."
After the presentation of the plaintiff in the court below, the Judge, upon motion of counsel for the  defendant,  dismissed the action in  the following words:
"It is  seen from  Exhibit '1' that the criminal  action  for  estafa against the  deceased Perpetua A. Vda.  de Soriano was  founded on Exhibits  'A' and  'B' and 'C, the deeds of sale, and the present claim of  the claimant is  also founded on the same exhibits with the. exception of Exhibit  'C "which was not presented by  the said claimant, having been  substituted by him with his  own oral  testimony.  Therefore,  the inevitable conclusion is  that the acquittal of the deceased-accused,  Ferpetua X.  Vda.  de  Soriano, produces the effect of exemption  of her  estafa  from any  civil  liability. IPoa  TUB foregoing,  the motion to  dissmiss is granted,  and the claim of  Elias Racela is dismissed. "Without costs.
It is  against the above  judgment that this appeal has been  prosecuted.  Claimant-appellant  argues  that   the judgment  of  acquittal in  the criminal action was based on  reasonable doubt and therefore it cannot amount  to a judicial declaration "that the  fact from which  the civil might arise did not exist".   A  study, of  the judgment of acquittal in the said criminal action readily  discloses that the decedent did not sell any  land to  Elias Racela and that the deeds of sale Exhibits "A" and "B" were executed by the decedent in order to enable Elias  Racela to convince the residents  of. a  barrio that  the decedent could  freely dispose of his properties.  Witness the following portions of the  judgment,  Exhibits "1."
"La unica  cuestion  a  resnlverse  en  esta  causa  es la de si  la acusada habia vendido a  Ellas  Raeola  las dos parcelas  do terreno que se describen los exhibitos 'A' y (B' respectivamente.  Para resolver esta question el Juzgado entiende  que no  dcbc atenerse solamente  a los niencionados  exhibitos  sino  tambien a  la version de los' tcstigos de la  defensa y el estado financiero de  la acusada.

"Analizados estos hechos, el Juzgado se inclina a crecr como asi eree que Elias Eacela  no ha  entregado ninguna cantidad dc dinero a la acusada como  pago de  ,Ia  venta  alegada por la  acusacion; porque si  fuese cierto el hecho  de  que  Elias Eacela habia entregado el  dinero importe de cada uno  de los terrenos  descritos en Iok exhibitos 'A' y (E,' respectivamente,, no se comprende como y porque se habian  puesto en  el Exhibito 'B'  las palabras 'and  services rendered":  En  opinion  del Juzgado egtas palabras 'and  services rendered puestas  despucs  de las palabras  'One Thousand  Pesos .Philippine Currency to me' revelan  que  Elias Racela en la ocaszon en que se  redacto  la escritura daba  a entender que Jo que el habia pagado a  la acusada era el  valor do sus servicios.  Si  esto es el caso, Elias Racela al afirmar en el  dia de la vista  de estc  causa que el habia entregado dinero a  la acusada no ha .dieho la verdad; y por tanto debe  estimarse por buena  la teoria de  la  acusada al efecto de que ella  no  habia vendido  ningun terreno  a Elias Racela.
The  theory  upon  which   the present  claim   of  Elias Racela  is based is  that the  deceased  sold the pareds of land to Elias Racela and the latter paid the deceased the price therefor  or P2,000.  The above-quoted portions of the decision clearly indicate that no  actual sale was made and that the deeds  Exhibits  "A"  and  "B" were executed for another purpose' and  were, therefore, simulated sales. The judgment in the criminal action, therefore, contains an express declaration  that the basis of claimant's action for P2,000, or the sales  of said parcels  of land to the claimant and  the receipt by the decedent  therefor for P2,000,  did not exist.   Claimant's action is  barred  under section  1 (d), Rule  107, which provide:
" (d)  Extinction of the  penal  action  does  not  carry with  it extinction of  the civil,  unless  the  extinction proceeds  from  a declaration in a final judgment that the fact from which the civil might arise  did not exist.  *   *  *.'
In view of ithe above conclusion, it is unnecessary  to consider the  claim of the  claimant-appellant that he had submitted sufficient evidence to sustain defendant's liability. The judgment appealed from is hereby affirmed, with costs against the claimant.

ParĂ¡s, C  J., Bengzon, Padilla,, Montemayor,  Reyes, A., Jugo, Bautista Angela, Concepcion, Reyes,  J. B. L. and Endenda, JJ., concur.

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