Case Digest: SPS. Manuel & Victoria Salimbangon vs. SPS. Santos & Erlinda Tan G.R. No. 185240 I January 20, 2010

FACTS:

Guillermo Ceniza died intestate leaving a parcel of land at Poblacion, Mandaue City. Twenty years later his children executed an extrajudicial declaration of heirs and partition, adjudicating and dividing the land among themselves. Lots A, B, and C were adjacent to a city street. But Lots D and E were not, they being interior lots. To give these interior lots access to the street, the heirs established in their extrajudicial partition an easement of right of way consisting of a 3-meter wide alley between Lots D and E that continued on between Lots A and B and on to the street. The partition that embodied this easement of right of way was annotated on the individual titles issued to the heirs.

But, realizing that the partition resulted in an unequal division of the property, the heirs modified their agreement by eliminating the easement of right of way along Lots A, D, and E, and in its place, imposed a 3-meter wide alley, an easement of right of way, that ran exclusively along the southwest boundary of Lot B from Lots D and E to the street.

Petitioner Victoria became the owner of Lot A, one of the three lots adjacent to the city street. Victoria and her husband (the Salimbangons) constructed a residential house on this lot and built two garages on it. One garage abutted the street while the other, located in the interior of Lot A, used the alley or easement of right of way existing on Lot B to get to the street. Victoria had this alley cemented and gated.

Respondent spouses Santos and Erlinda Tan (the Tans) bought Lots B, C, D, and E from all their owners. The Tans built improvements on Lot B that spilled into the easement area. They also closed the gate that the Salimbangons built. Unable to use the old right of way, the Salimbangons lodged a complaint with the City Engineer of Mandaue against the Tans. For their part, the Tans filed an action against the Salimbangons for the extinguishment of the easement on Lot B and damages with application for preliminary injunction.

ISSUE:

Whether or not the easement of right of way established by the partition agreement among the heirs has been extinguished.

DECISION:

The easement of right way for the benefit of Lots D and E was extinguished. The Court affirmed the Court of Appeals' decision that based on the testimony of one of the previous owners, Eduardo Ceniza, the true intent of the parties was to establish that easement of right of way for the benefit of the interior lots, namely, Lots D and E. Consequently, when ownership of Lots B, D, and E was consolidated into the Tans, the easement ceased to have any purpose and became extinct.