- Petitioner
- Mariano Gonzales
- Respondent
- Alejandro Rojas
- Citation
- G.R. No. 5449
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Division
- First Division
- Ponente
- Arellano, C.J.
- Decided
- March 22, 1910
Summary
The Supreme Court resolved a land registration dispute involving competing claims to a fishery in Bulacan. Alejandro Rojas claimed ownership through a 1900 private sale from Juliana Samonte, while the Gonzales family claimed through public sales from Juliana's heirs in 1902-1903. The Court held that Rojas' purchase was conditional upon delivery after lease expiration, and since Juliana died before delivery, ownership never transferred to him. The property remained part of her estate, which her heirs validly sold to the Gonzales family in good faith. The decision emphasized that ownership requires tradition/delivery under Civil Code Article 1462, and incomplete conditional sales do not transfer ownership. This case established important precedent regarding conditional sales, delivery requirements, and good faith purchases in property law.