Anacleta Cortez Viuda de Castro v. Pedro Bibaño

Summary

This 1920 Supreme Court case involved the land registration application of Anacleta Cortez for hacienda San Jose in Pilar, Capiz, opposed by Pedro Bibaño and Crispulo Beramo regarding specific parcels. The Supreme Court partially granted the registration but with important modifications. For Bibaño's parcel, the Court allowed registration subject to his right to resolve the sale due to the unpaid purchase price of P500, applying Article 1124 of the Civil Code on reciprocal obligations. For portion 12-1 claimed by Beramo, the Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded for new trial, finding that Exhibit 28 (showing return of land due to non-payment) was improperly rejected as evidence. The case demonstrates the application of Civil Code provisions on sales contracts and the importance of proper evidence admission in land registration proceedings.