Spouses Pacifico v. Lucio Maco

Summary

This case involves a dispute over possession of registered land between the registered owner's heirs and occupants claiming ownership by prescription. Lucio Maco owned land under a 1977 Torrens title but discovered in 1980 that spouses Resano were claiming ownership and had their tenant cultivating the property. After failed settlement attempts, Maco filed an action for recovery of possession in 2000. The Resanos claimed acquisitive prescription and challenged the title's validity, arguing they had possessed the land since 1942. All three court levels ruled in favor of Maco's heirs, applying the fundamental principle that registered land cannot be acquired by prescription or adverse possession. The Supreme Court emphasized that Torrens titles are indefeasible and cannot be collaterally attacked in possession suits, and that registered owners have an imprescriptible right to recover possession regardless of how long unauthorized occupation may have lasted.