City of Manila v.

Chinese Community of Manila [GR14355, 31 October 1919

!irst "ivision, #ohnson $#%& 4 concur
!acts& On 11 "ecember, 191', the city of Manila (resente) a (etition in the Court of
!irst *nstance $C!*% of
Manila (rayin+ that certain lan)s $e,tension of Ri-al .venue /ithin 0loc1 3 of the
)istrict of 0inon)o% be
e,(ro(riate) for the (ur(ose of constructin+ a (ublic im(rovement. 2he Comuni)a)
)e Chinos )e Manila
[Chinese Community of Manila alle+e) in its ans/er that it /as a cor(oration
or+ani-e) an) e,istin+ un)er
an) by virtue of the la/s of the 3hili((ine *slan)s, havin+ for its (ur(ose the bene4t
an) +eneral /elfare of
the Chinese Community of the City of Manila5 that it /as the o/ner of (arcels one
an) t/o of the lan)
)escribe) in (ara+ra(h 6 of the com(laint5 that it )enie) that it /as either
necessary or e,(e)ient that the sai)
(arcels be e,(ro(riate) for street (ur(oses5 that e,istin+ street an) roa)s furnishe)
am(le means of
communication for the (ublic in the )istrict covere) by such (ro(ose) e,(ro(riation5
that if the construction
of the street or roa) shoul) be consi)ere) a (ublic necessity, other routes /ere
available, /hich /oul) fully
satisfy the City7s (ur(oses, at much less e,(ense an) /ithout )isturbin+ the restin+
(laces of the )ea)5 that it
ha) a 2orrens title for the lan)s in 8uestion5 that the lan)s in 8uestion ha) been
use) by the Chinese
Community for cemetery (ur(oses5 that a +reat number of Chinese /ere burie) in
sai) cemetery5 that if sai)
e,(ro(riation be carrie) into e9ect, it /oul) )isturb the restin+ (laces of the )ea),
/oul) re8uire the
e,(en)iture of a lar+e sum of money in the transfer or removal of the bo)ies to
some other (lace or site an) in
the (urchase of such ne/ sites, /oul) involve the )estruction of e,istin+
monuments an) the erection of ne/
monuments in their stea), an) /oul) create irre(arable loss an) in:ury to the
Chinese Community an) to all
those (ersons o/nin+ an) intereste) in the +raves an) monuments /hich /oul)
have to be )estroye)5 that the
City /as /ithout ri+ht or authority to e,(ro(riate sai) cemetery or any (art or
(ortion thereof for street
(ur(oses5 an) that the e,(ro(riation, in fact, /as not necessary as a (ublic
im(rovement. *l)efonso
2ambuntin+, ans/erin+ the (etition, )enie) each an) every alle+ation of the
com(laint, an) alle+e) that sai)
e,(ro(riation /as not a (ublic im(rovement. !eli-a Conce(cion )e "el+a)o, /ith
her husban), #ose Maria
"el+a)o, an) each of the other )efen)ants, ans/erin+ se(arately, (resente)
substantially the same )efense as
that (resente) by the Comuni)a) )e Chinos )e Manila an) *l)efonso 2ambuntin+.
#u)+e ;im(licio )el
Rosario )eci)e) that there /as no necessity for the e,(ro(riation of the stri( of lan)
an) absolve) each an) all
of the )efen)ants $Chinese Community, 2ambuntin+, s(ouses "el+a)o, et. al.% from
all liability un)er the
com(laint, /ithout any 4n)in+ as to costs. !rom the :u)+ment, the City of Manila
a((eale).
*ssue& <hether (ortions of the Chinese Cemetery, a (ublic cemetery, may be
e,(ro(riate) for the construction
of a (ublic im(rovement.
=el)& >o. ;ection 6469 of .ct 6?11 $Charter of the city of Manila% (rovi)es that the
city $Manila% may
con)emn (rivate (ro(erty for (ublic use. 2he Charter of the city of Manila, ho/ever,
contains no (roce)ure
by /hich the sai) authority may be carrie) into e9ect. .ct 19@ (rovi)es for ho/
ri+ht of eminent )omain may
be e,ercise). ;ection 641 of sai) .ct (rovi)es that the Government of the 3hili((ine
*slan)s, or of any
(rovince or )e(artment thereof, or of any munici(ality, an) any (erson, or (ublic or
(rivate cor(oration
havin+, by la/, the ri+ht to con)emn (rivate (ro(erty for (ublic use, shall e,ercise
that ri+ht in the manner
(rescribe) by ;ection 646 to 64'. 2he ri+ht of e,(ro(riation is not an inherent
(o/er in a munici(al
cor(oration, an) before it can e,ercise the ri+ht some la/ must e,ist conferrin+ the
(