This document summarizes a court case regarding the inheritance of property by Pacita Gonzales. When Gonzales died without a will, her long-time partner Villanueva and his alleged daughter Angelina partitioned the estate. The petitioners, who are relatives of Gonzales, contested this partition. The court ruled that Angelina failed to prove she was biologically or legally adopted as Villanueva's daughter. Her birth certificate listing Villanueva as her father was not sufficient evidence. Therefore, Angelina could not inherit from Gonzales and the partition she executed was invalid. The court remanded the case to determine Gonzales' rightful heirs and properly partition the estate.
This document summarizes a court case regarding the inheritance of property by Pacita Gonzales. When Gonzales died without a will, her long-time partner Villanueva and his alleged daughter Angelina partitioned the estate. The petitioners, who are relatives of Gonzales, contested this partition. The court ruled that Angelina failed to prove she was biologically or legally adopted as Villanueva's daughter. Her birth certificate listing Villanueva as her father was not sufficient evidence. Therefore, Angelina could not inherit from Gonzales and the partition she executed was invalid. The court remanded the case to determine Gonzales' rightful heirs and properly partition the estate.
This document summarizes a court case regarding the inheritance of property by Pacita Gonzales. When Gonzales died without a will, her long-time partner Villanueva and his alleged daughter Angelina partitioned the estate. The petitioners, who are relatives of Gonzales, contested this partition. The court ruled that Angelina failed to prove she was biologically or legally adopted as Villanueva's daughter. Her birth certificate listing Villanueva as her father was not sufficient evidence. Therefore, Angelina could not inherit from Gonzales and the partition she executed was invalid. The court remanded the case to determine Gonzales' rightful heirs and properly partition the estate.
Rivera, et al v Heirs of Romualdo Villanueva (MJ) Angelina and her co-defendants in SD-857 should have adduced evidence of her adoption,
Topic : Legitimate children in view of the contents of her birth certificate. The records, however, are bereft of any such
evidence. FACTS : ● This petition for review on certiorari from a decision and a resolution of the Court of Appeals Under the circumstances, the Court ruled that it was not sufficiently established that touches upon questions of filiation, presumptions of co-equal acquisition and res judicata. respondent Angelina was Gonzales’ biological daughter, nor even her adopted daughter. ● Petitioners are allegedly the half-brothers, the half-sister-in-law, and the children Thus, she cannot inherit from Gonzales. Since she could not have validly participated in of a half-brother of the deceased Pacita Gonzales. Respondents are heirs of Gonzales’ estate, the extrajudicial partition which she executed with Villanueva on August Villanueva and are represented by Melchor. The remaining respondents, Angelina 8, 1980 was invalid. Villanueva and husband Victoriano de Luna, are allegedly the daughter and the son-in-law, respectively, of the late Villanueva. WHEREFORE, the petition is hereby GRANTED. The decision and resolution of the Court of ● From 1927 until her death in 1980, Gonzales cohabited with Villanueva without Appeals are reversed and set aside, and a new one entered ANNULLING the deed of the benefit of marriage because the latter was married to one Amanda Musngi extrajudicial partition with sale and REMANDING the case to the court of origin for the who died on April 20, 1963. determination and identification of Pacita Gonzales heirs and the corresponding partition ● In the course of their cohabitation, they acquired several properties including the of her estate. properties contested in this case. Gonzales died on July 3, 1980 without leaving a will. ● On August 8, 1980, Villanueva and respondent Angelina executed a deed of extrajudicial partition with sale, that is, an extrajudicial settlement of Gonzales’ estate comprising a number of the aforementioned properties. In this document, Villanueva, for the amount of P30,000, conveyed his interests in the estate to Angelina. ● Petitioners filed a case for partition of Gonzales’ estate and annulment of titles and damages, with the RTC. In dismissing the complaint, the RTC made two findings: (1) Gonzales was never married to Villanueva and (2) respondent Angelina was her illegitimate child by Villanueva and therefore her sole heir, to the exclusion of petitioners. The CA ruled that respondent Angelina was the illegitimate daughter of the decedent, based solely on her birth certificate. Hence this petition.
ISSUE : Whether Angelina is an illegitimate child of the deceased Villanueva.
RULING : No. The mere registration of a child in his or her birth certificate as the child of the supposed parents is not a valid adoption, does not confer upon the child the status of an adopted child and the legal rights of such child, and even amounts to simulation of the child’s birth or falsification of his or her birth certificate, which is a public document.
Furthermore, it is well-settled that a record of birth is merely a prima facie evidence of the facts contained therein. It is not conclusive evidence of the truthfulness of the statements made there by the interested parties. Following the logic of Benitez case, respondent
Date: 26 July 2019 Ms Zohra Shiraz Contractor Saidunnisa House, 2Nd FLR, Flat No 12,48/A, Naushir Bharucha Marg, Opp Grant Road Rly STN West Mumbai Mumbai 400007 Maharashtra