Ambrosio T. Alojado v. M. J. Lim Siongco

Summary

This case involved a property dispute over land sold by Juana Mabaquiao to Nicolas Alegata in 1907. The administrator of Mabaquiao's estate claimed the contract was antichresis rather than a sale with right to repurchase, seeking to recover the property. The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision favoring the defendants, ruling that the contract was clearly a sale with right to repurchase based on its unambiguous terms. Since the redemption right was not exercised within the 10-year statutory period under Article 1508 of the Civil Code, the purchaser's title had been consolidated. The Court rejected attempts to prove the contract was antichresis through witness testimony, emphasizing that documentary evidence could not be altered by contradictory oral testimony. This decision established important precedent regarding the interpretation of property contracts and the consolidation of title in sales with redemption rights.