- Petitioner
- Department of Education
- Respondent
- Celso Oñate
- Citation
- G.R. No. 161758
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Division
- Second Division
- Ponente
- Velasco, Jr., J.
- Decided
- June 8, 2007
Summary
This case involves a 52-year land dispute where the Department of Education occupied school land belonging to the Oñate family. In 1940, Bagumbayan Elementary School was built on Lot No. 6849 owned by Claro Oñate. The Municipality of Daraga later donated the land to DepEd in 1988. Respondent Celso Oñate, grandson of the original owner, obtained a reconstituted title in 1991 and filed suit in 1993 to recover the property. The RTC and CA ruled in favor of Oñate, but the Supreme Court applied the doctrine of laches, finding that Oñate and his predecessors had slept on their rights for over five decades. The Court allowed DepEd to retain possession of the school site while confirming Oñate's ownership of other portions of the subdivided lot. The decision balances property rights with the equitable doctrine of laches and public interest in education.