- Petitioner
- Ligaya S. Santos
- Respondent
- Court of Appeals
- Citation
- G.R. No. 135481
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Division
- Second Division
- Ponente
- Quisumbing, J.
- Decided
- October 23, 2001
Summary
This ejectment case involved Ligaya Santos who occupied PGFI's canteen space from 1989 under a lease contract but stopped paying rent in 1993. When PGFI was forcibly evicted from its office, the original lease contract was lost. PGFI sued for ejectment, presenting secondary evidence including an unsigned copy and affidavits of witnesses. Lower courts dismissed the case for failure to prove the contract's existence, but the Court of Appeals reversed, finding secondary evidence sufficient under Rule 130. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that lease contracts may be proven through secondary evidence when originals are lost without bad faith. The Court applied Civil Code provisions on implied lease renewal and ejectment grounds, ruling Santos' non-payment justified her eviction and liability for unpaid rentals.