Leonida Cureg v. Intermediate Appellate Court

Summary

This Supreme Court case involves a land ownership dispute over a 5.5-hectare property including river accretion in Cabagan, Isabela. Private respondents claimed ownership through inheritance from Francisco Gerardo based on tax declarations, while petitioners asserted riparian rights under Original Certificate of Title No. P-19093. The trial court and Intermediate Appellate Court initially ruled for respondents, but the Supreme Court reversed, holding that tax declarations cannot prevail over a certificate of title. The Court found that respondents' claimed 'motherland' was non-existent, and the disputed area was actually river accretion belonging to petitioners as riparian owners under Article 457 of the Civil Code. The case establishes the superiority of registered title over tax declarations and clarifies riparian rights to alluvial deposits, while noting that accretions to registered land must be separately titled under the Torrens system.