SC upholds government ownership of Piedad estate

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld with finality the government’s ownership of a 34-hectare portion of the Piedad estate in Quezon City that had been forfeited from the Manotok clan.

In a 32-page resolution released yesterday, the justices voted 8-7 to dismiss the appeal filed by Severino Manotok IV and other claimants of the property, particularly the heirs of Homer Barque and Felicitas Manahan, on its August 2010 decision that nullified the title held by the Manotoks.

The SC affirmed the findings of the CA that none of the parties were able to prove a valid acquisition of Lot 823 of the Piedad estate from the government in accordance with the provisions of Act 112, otherwise known as the “Friar Lands Act.”

Lot 823 is a part of the Piedad estate, a friar land acquired by the Philippine government on Dec. 23, 1903.

The property is situated in Culiat, Capitol Hills, Old Balara and Ayala Heights, that are now part of Quezon City.

Controversy arising from conflicting claims over Lot 823 began to surface after a fire gutted portions of the Quezon City Hall in 1988, which destroyed records stored in the Office of the Register of Deeds, including that of Lot 823.