Republic of the Philippines cases of foreclosure, to ascertain the amount due, as prescribed in section 256

SUPREME COURT of the Code of Civil Procedure, and to make an order requiring the defendant
Manila to pay the money into court. This step is a necessary precursor of the order of
sale. The mere fact that the court thus ascertains the amount of the debt and
EN BANC orders the defendant to pay it into court does not constitute the entering of a
judgment against him as upon a personal liability.
G.R. No. L-11390 March 26, 1918
5.CONSTITUTIONAL LAW; DUE PROCESS.—As applied to judicial
EL BANCO ESPAÑOL-FILIPINO, plaintiff-appellant, proceedings, due process of law implies that there must be a court or tribunal
vs. clothed with power to hear and determine the matter before it, that jurisdiction
VICENTE PALANCA, administrator of the estate of Engracio Palanca shall have been lawfully acquired, that the defendant shall have an opportunity
Tanquinyeng, defendant-appellant. to be heard, and that judgment shall be rendered upon lawful hearing.

Aitken and DeSelms for appellant. 6.ID.; ID.; MORTGAGE; FORECLOSURE.—In an action to foreclose a
Hartigan and Welch for appellee. mortgage against a nonresident, some notification of the proceedings must be
given to the defendant. Under statutes generally prevailing, this notification
1.MORTGAGES; FORECLOSURE; JURISDICTION OF COURT OVER commonly takes the form of publication in a newspaper of general circulation
NONRESIDENT MORTGAGOR.—Where the defendant in a mortgage and the sending of notice, by mail, by which means the owner is admonished
foreclosure lives out of the Islands and refuses to appear or otherwise submit that his property is the subject of judicial proceedings. The provisions of law
himself to the authority of the court, the jurisdiction of the latter is limited to the providing for notice of this character must be complied with.
mortgaged property, with respect to which the jurisdiction of the court is based
upon the fact that the property is located within the district and that the court, 7.ID.; ID.; ID.; ORDER FOR MAILING OF NOTICE BY CLERK.—In a
under the provisions of law applicable in such cases, is vested with the power foreclosure proceeding against a nonresident defendant, the court is required
to subject the property to the obligation created by the mortgage. In such case to make an order for the clerk to mail a copy of the summons and complaint to
personal jurisdiction over the nonresident defendant is nonessential and in fact the defendant at his last place of residence if known. In the present case an
cannot be acquired. order was made directing the clerk to mail the required copy to the defendant
at Amoy China. No evidence appeared of record showing that such notice had
2.ID.; ID.; ID.; FAILURE OF CLERK TO SEND NOTICE BY MAIL.—The failure in fact been mailed by the clerk; but publication was regularly made in a
of the clerk to send notice by mail to the nonresident defendant in a foreclosure periodical as the law requires. Held: That the making of the order by the court
proceeding, as required by an order of the court, does not defeat the jurisdiction constituted a compliance with the law, in so far as necessary to constitute due
of the court over the mortgaged property. process of law, and that if the clerk failed to send the notice, his dereliction in
the performance of his duty was an irregularity which did not constitute an
3.ID.; ID.; ID.; PERSONAL LIABILITY.—In an action to foreclose a mortgage infringment of the provision of the Philippine Bill declaring that no person shall
against a nonresident defendant who fails to submit himself to the jurisdiction be deprived of property without due process of law.
of the court, no adjudication can be made which involves a determination of a
personal liability of either party arising out of the contract of mortgage. 8.JUDGMENT; MOTION TO VACATE; IRREGULARITY IN GlVING OF
NOTICE.—A defendant who seeks to vacate a judgment in a foreclosure
4.ID.; ID.; ID.; ASCERTAINMENT OF AMOUNT DUE.—In a foreclosure proceeding on the ground of irregularity in the sending of notice by post, or
proceeding against a nonresident owner it is necessary for the court, as in all failure to send such notice pursuant to an order of the court, must show that as
a result of such irregularity he suffered some prejudice of which the law can 14.ID.; ACTS OF COURT OF GENERAL JURISDICTION.—After jurisdiction
take account. has once been acquired, every act of a court of general jurisdiction is presumed
to have been rightly done. This rule is applied to every judgment rendered in
9.ID.; ID.; PREJUDICE TO DEFENDANT.—In a mortgage foreclosure the various stages of the proceedings; and if the record is silent with respect to
proceeding the property was bought in at the public sale by the plaintiff, the any fact which should have been established before the court could have rightly
mortgagee, at a price much below the upset value agreed upon in the acted, it will be presumed that such fact was properly brought to its knowledge.
mortgage. Held: That if any liability was incurred by the plaintiff by purchasing
at a price below that which had been agreed upon as the upset price, such 15.ID.; JURISDICTIONAL FACT.—Where the officer makes a return
liability was of a personal nature and could not be the subject of adjudication in concerning the manner in which service was effected, and this service appears
a foreclosure against a nonresident defendant who did not come in and submit to have been insufficient, it cannot be presumed that other legal service was
to the jurisdiction of the court. Such act of the plaintiff was, therefore, not such effected by the same officer or other authorized person. This rule, however, is
a prejudice to the defendant as would justify the opening of the judgment of not applicable to the case where an affidavit relative to mailing notice to a
foreclosure. nonresident, instead of being made by the proper officer, is made by one acting
without legal authority.
10.ID.; ID.; DELAY AS AFFECTING RIGHT TO RELIEF.—A party who seeks
to open a final judgment with a view to a renewal of the litigation should show 16.JUDGMENTS; MOTION TO VACATE; TlME WlTHIN WHICH MOTION
that he has acted with diligence; and unexplained delay in seeking relief is a MAY BE MAINTAINED.—Where a judgment is not void on its face, a motion to
circumstance to be considered as affecting the application adversely. vacate the judgment with a view to a continuation of the litigation, can be
maintained in a Court of First Instance only in accordance with section 113 of
11.ID.; ID.; ID.; PRESUMPTION OF KNOWLEDGE.—Upon an application the Code of Civil Procedure, which sets a time limit of six months from the date
made by the representative of a deceased nonresident to vacate a judgment in when the judgment is entered. After the expiration of this period the party who
a foreclosure proceeding, it is held that, under the circumstances of the seeks relief against a judgment alleged to be void for some defect not apparent
particular case, knowledge of the proceedings, or of their result, should be on its f face must have recourse to an appropriate original proceeding.
imputed to him, upon the legal presumption that things have happened
according to the ordinary habits of life, and that as a consequence his failure to STREET, J.:
apply for relief within the year and a half during which he survived the
foreclosure proceedings was a circumstance adversely affecting the This action was instituted upon March 31, 1908, by "El Banco Espanol-
application for relief. Filipino" to foreclose a mortgage upon various parcels of real property
situated in the city of Manila. The mortgage in question is dated June 16,
12.ID.; UNSETTLEMENT OF JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS; PUBLIC POLICY.— 1906, and was executed by the original defendant herein, Engracio Palanca
An application which proposes to disturb judicial proceedings long closed Tanquinyeng y Limquingco, as security for a debt owing by him to the bank.
cannot be considered with favor, unless based upon grounds Which appeal to Upon March 31, 1906, the debt amounted to P218,294.10 and was drawing
the conscience of the court. Public policy requires that judicial proceedings be interest at the rate of 8 per centum per annum, payable at the end of each
upheld. The maxim here applicable is Non quieta movere. quarter. It appears that the parties to this mortgage at that time estimated the
value of the property in question at P292,558, which was about P75,000 in
13.PRESUMPTIONS; PERFORMANCE OF OFFICIAL DUTY.—Where the excess of the indebtedness. After the execution of this instrument by the
court makes an order for the clerk to mail notice of a foreclosure proceeding to mortgagor, he returned to China which appears to have been his native
a nonresident defendant it will be presumed in the absence of affirmative proof country; and he there died, upon January 29, 1810, without again returning to
to the contrary that the duty was performed. the Philippine Islands.
As the defendant was a nonresident at the time of the institution of the property located in the city of Manila should be exposed to public sale. The
present action, it was necessary for the plaintiff in the foreclosure proceeding payment contemplated in said order was never made; and upon July 8, 1908,
to give notice to the defendant by publication pursuant to section 399 of the the court ordered the sale of the property. The sale took place upon July 30,
Code of Civil Procedure. An order for publication was accordingly obtained 1908, and the property was bought in by the bank for the sum of P110,200.
from the court, and publication was made in due form in a newspaper of the Upon August 7, 1908, this sale was confirmed by the court.
city of Manila. At the same time that the order of the court should deposit in
the post office in a stamped envelope a copy of the summons and complaint About seven years after the confirmation of this sale, or to the precise, upon
directed to the defendant at his last place of residence, to wit, the city of June 25, 1915, a motion was made in this cause by Vicente Palanca, as
Amoy, in the Empire of China. This order was made pursuant to the following administrator of the estate of the original defendant, Engracio Palanca
provision contained in section 399 of the Code of Civil Procedure: Tanquinyeng y Limquingco, wherein the applicant requested the court to set
aside the order of default of July 2, 1908, and the judgment rendered upon
In case of publication, where the residence of a nonresident or absent July 3, 1908, and to vacate all the proceedings subsequent thereto. The basis
defendant is known, the judge must direct a copy of the summons and of this application, as set forth in the motion itself, was that the order of
complaint to be forthwith deposited by the clerk in the post-office, default and the judgment rendered thereon were void because the court had
postage prepaid, directed to the person to be served, at his place of never acquired jurisdiction over the defendant or over the subject of the
residence action.

Whether the clerk complied with this order does not affirmatively appear. At the hearing in the court below the application to vacate the judgment was
There is, however, among the papers pertaining to this case, an affidavit, denied, and from this action of the court Vicente Planca, as administrator of
dated April 4, 1908, signed by Bernardo Chan y Garcia, an employee of the the estate of the original defendant, has appealed. No other feature of the
attorneys of the bank, showing that upon that date he had deposited in the case is here under consideration than such as related to the action of the
Manila post-office a registered letter, addressed to Engracio Palanca court upon said motion.
Tanquinyeng, at Manila, containing copies of the complaint, the plaintiff's
affidavit, the summons, and the order of the court directing publication as The case presents several questions of importance, which will be discussed
aforesaid. It appears from the postmaster's receipt that Bernardo probably in what appears to be the sequence of most convenient development. In the
used an envelope obtained from the clerk's office, as the receipt purports to first part of this opinion we shall, for the purpose of argument, assume that
show that the letter emanated from the office. the clerk of the Court of First Instance did not obey the order of the court in
the matter of mailing the papers which he was directed to send to the
The cause proceeded in usual course in the Court of First Instance; and the defendant in Amoy; and in this connection we shall consider, first, whether the
defendant not having appeared, judgment was, upon July 2, 1908, taken court acquired the necessary jurisdiction to enable it to proceed with the
against him by default. Upon July 3, 1908, a decision was rendered in favor of foreclosure of the mortgage and, secondly, whether those proceedings were
the plaintiff. In this decision it was recited that publication had been properly conducted in such manner as to constitute due process of law.
made in a periodical, but nothing was said about this notice having been
given mail. The court, upon this occasion, found that the indebtedness of the The word "jurisdiction," as applied to the faculty of exercising judicial power, is
defendant amounted to P249,355. 32, with interest from March 31, 1908. used in several different, though related, senses since it may have reference
Accordingly it was ordered that the defendant should, on or before July 6, (1) to the authority of the court to entertain a particular kind of action or to
1908, deliver said amount to the clerk of the court to be applied to the administer a particular kind of relief, or it may refer to the power of the court
satisfaction of the judgment, and it was declared that in case of the failure of over the parties, or (2) over the property which is the subject to the litigation.
the defendant to satisfy the judgment within such period, the mortgage
The sovereign authority which organizes a court determines the nature and In speaking of the proceeding to foreclose a mortgage the author of a well
extent of its powers in general and thus fixes its competency or jurisdiction known treaties, has said:
with reference to the actions which it may entertain and the relief it may grant.
Though nominally against person, such suits are to vindicate liens;
Jurisdiction over the person is acquired by the voluntary appearance of a they proceed upon seizure; they treat property as primarily indebted;
party in court and his submission to its authority, or it is acquired by the and, with the qualification above-mentioned, they are substantially
coercive power of legal process exerted over the person. property actions. In the civil law, they are styled hypothecary actions,
and their sole object is the enforcement of the lien against the res; in
Jurisdiction over the property which is the subject of the litigation may result the common law, they would be different in chancery did not treat the
either from a seizure of the property under legal process, whereby it is conditional conveyance as a mere hypothecation, and the creditor's
brought into the actual custody of the law, or it may result from the institution right ass an equitable lien; so, in both, the suit is real action so far as it
of legal proceedings wherein, under special provisions of law, the power of is against property, and seeks the judicial recognition of a property
the court over the property is recognized and made effective. In the latter debt, and an order for the sale of the res. (Waples, Proceedings In
case the property, though at all times within the potential power of the court, Rem. sec. 607.)
may never be taken into actual custody at all. An illustration of the jurisdiction
acquired by actual seizure is found in attachment proceedings, where the It is true that in proceedings of this character, if the defendant for whom
property is seized at the beginning of the action, or some subsequent stage of publication is made appears, the action becomes as to him a personal action
its progress, and held to abide the final event of the litigation. An illustration of and is conducted as such. This, however, does not affect the proposition that
what we term potential jurisdiction over the res, is found in the proceeding to where the defendant fails to appear the action is quasi in rem; and it should
register the title of land under our system for the registration of land. Here the therefore be considered with reference to the principles governing actions in
court, without taking actual physical control over the property assumes, at the rem.
instance of some person claiming to be owner, to exercise a jurisdiction in
rem over the property and to adjudicate the title in favor of the petitioner There is an instructive analogy between the foreclosure proceeding and an
against all the world. action of attachment, concerning which the Supreme Court of the United
States has used the following language:
In the terminology of American law the action to foreclose a mortgage is said
to be a proceeding quasi in rem, by which is expressed the idea that while it is If the defendant appears, the cause becomes mainly a suit in
not strictly speaking an action in rem yet it partakes of that nature and is personam, with the added incident, that the property attached remains
substantially such. The expression "action in rem" is, in its narrow application, liable, under the control of the court, to answer to any demand which
used only with reference to certain proceedings in courts of admiralty wherein may be established against the defendant by the final judgment of the
the property alone is treated as responsible for the claim or obligation upon court. But, if there is no appearance of the defendant, and no service
which the proceedings are based. The action quasi rem differs from the true of process on him, the case becomes, in its essential nature, a
action in rem in the circumstance that in the former an individual is named as proceeding in rem, the only effect of which is to subject the property
defendant, and the purpose of the proceeding is to subject his interest therein attached to the payment of the defendant which the court may find to
to the obligation or lien burdening the property. All proceedings having for be due to the plaintiff. (Cooper vs. Reynolds, 10 Wall., 308.)
their sole object the sale or other disposition of the property of the defendant,
whether by attachment, foreclosure, or other form of remedy, are in a general In an ordinary attachment proceeding, if the defendant is not personally
way thus designated. The judgment entered in these proceedings is served, the preliminary seizure is to, be considered necessary in order to
conclusive only between the parties. confer jurisdiction upon the court. In this case the lien on the property is
acquired by the seizure; and the purpose of the proceedings is to subject the nonresident mortgagor who fails to come in and submit himself personally to
property to that lien. If a lien already exists, whether created by mortgage, the jurisdiction of the court: (I) That the jurisdiction of the court is derived from
contract, or statute, the preliminary seizure is not necessary; and the court the power which it possesses over the property; (II) that jurisdiction over the
proceeds to enforce such lien in the manner provided by law precisely as person is not acquired and is nonessential; (III) that the relief granted by the
though the property had been seized upon attachment. (Roller vs. Holly, 176 court must be limited to such as can be enforced against the property itself.
U. S., 398, 405; 44 L. ed., 520.) It results that the mere circumstance that in
an attachment the property may be seized at the inception of the It is important that the bearing of these propositions be clearly apprehended,
proceedings, while in the foreclosure suit it is not taken into legal custody until for there are many expressions in the American reports from which it might be
the time comes for the sale, does not materially affect the fundamental inferred that the court acquires personal jurisdiction over the person of the
principle involved in both cases, which is that the court is here exercising a defendant by publication and notice; but such is not the case. In truth the
jurisdiction over the property in a proceeding directed essentially in rem. proposition that jurisdiction over the person of a nonresident cannot be
acquired by publication and notice was never clearly understood even in the
Passing now to a consideration of the jurisdiction of the Court of First American courts until after the decision had been rendered by the Supreme
Instance in a mortgage foreclosure, it is evident that the court derives its Court of the United States in the leading case of Pennoyer vs. Neff (95 U. S.
authority to entertain the action primarily from the statutes organizing the 714; 24 L. ed., 565). In the light of that decision, and of other decisions which
court. The jurisdiction of the court, in this most general sense, over the cause have subsequently been rendered in that and other courts, the proposition
of action is obvious and requires no comment. Jurisdiction over the person of that jurisdiction over the person cannot be thus acquired by publication and
the defendant, if acquired at all in such an action, is obtained by the voluntary notice is no longer open to question; and it is now fully established that a
submission of the defendant or by the personal service of process upon him personal judgment upon constructive or substituted service against a
within the territory where the process is valid. If, however, the defendant is a nonresident who does not appear is wholly invalid. This doctrine applies to all
nonresident and, remaining beyond the range of the personal process of the kinds of constructive or substituted process, including service by publication
court, refuses to come in voluntarily, the court never acquires jurisdiction over and personal service outside of the jurisdiction in which the judgment is
the person at all. Here the property itself is in fact the sole thing which is rendered; and the only exception seems to be found in the case where the
impleaded and is the responsible object which is the subject of the exercise of nonresident defendant has expressly or impliedly consented to the mode of
judicial power. It follows that the jurisdiction of the court in such case is based service. (Note to Raher vs. Raher, 35 L. R. A. [N. S. ], 292; see also 50 L .R.
exclusively on the power which, under the law, it possesses over the property; A., 585; 35 L. R. A. [N. S.], 312
and any discussion relative to the jurisdiction of the court over the person of
the defendant is entirely apart from the case. The jurisdiction of the court over The idea upon which the decision in Pennoyer vs. Neff (supra) proceeds is
the property, considered as the exclusive object of such action, is evidently that the process from the tribunals of one State cannot run into other States
based upon the following conditions and considerations, namely: (1) that the or countries and that due process of law requires that the defendant shall be
property is located within the district; (2) that the purpose of the litigation is to brought under the power of the court by service of process within the State, or
subject the property by sale to an obligation fixed upon it by the mortgage; by his voluntary appearance, in order to authorize the court to pass upon the
and (3) that the court at a proper stage of the proceedings takes the property question of his personal liability. The doctrine established by the Supreme
into custody, if necessary, and expose it to sale for the purpose of satisfying Court of the United States on this point, being based upon the constitutional
the mortgage debt. An obvious corollary is that no other relief can be granted conception of due process of law, is binding upon the courts of the Philippine
in this proceeding than such as can be enforced against the property. Islands. Involved in this decision is the principle that in proceedings in rem or
quasi in rem against a nonresident who is not served personally within the
We may then, from what has been stated, formulated the following state, and who does not appear, the relief must be confined to the res, and
proposition relative to the foreclosure proceeding against the property of a the court cannot lawfully render a personal judgment against him. (Dewey vs.
Des Moines, 173 U. S., 193; 43 L. ed., 665; Heidritter vs. Elizabeth Oil Cloth Before leaving this branch of the case, we wish to observe that we are fully
Co., 112 U. S., 294; 28 L. ed., 729.) Therefore in an action to foreclose a aware that many reported cases can be cited in which it is assumed that the
mortgage against a nonresident, upon whom service has been effected question of the sufficiency of publication or notice in a case of this kind is a
exclusively by publication, no personal judgment for the deficiency can be question affecting the jurisdiction of the court, and the court is sometimes said
entered. (Latta vs. Tutton, 122 Cal., 279; Blumberg vs. Birch, 99 Cal., 416.) to acquire jurisdiction by virtue of the publication. This phraseology was
undoubtedly originally adopted by the court because of the analogy between
It is suggested in the brief of the appellant that the judgment entered in the service by the publication and personal service of process upon the
court below offends against the principle just stated and that this judgment is defendant; and, as has already been suggested, prior to the decision of
void because the court in fact entered a personal judgment against the absent Pennoyer vs. Neff (supra) the difference between the legal effects of the two
debtor for the full amount of the indebtedness secured by the mortgage. We forms of service was obscure. It is accordingly not surprising that the modes
do not so interpret the judgment. of expression which had already been molded into legal tradition before that
case was decided have been brought down to the present day. But it is clear
In a foreclosure proceeding against a nonresident owner it is necessary for that the legal principle here involved is not effected by the peculiar language
the court, as in all cases of foreclosure, to ascertain the amount due, as in which the courts have expounded their ideas.
prescribed in section 256 of the Code of Civil Procedure, and to make an
order requiring the defendant to pay the money into court. This step is a We now proceed to a discussion of the question whether the supposed
necessary precursor of the order of sale. In the present case the judgment irregularity in the proceedings was of such gravity as to amount to a denial of
which was entered contains the following words: that "due process of law" which was secured by the Act of Congress in force
in these Islands at the time this mortgage was foreclosed. (Act of July 1,
Because it is declared that the said defendant Engracio Palanca 1902, sec. 5.) In dealing with questions involving the application of the
Tanquinyeng y Limquingco, is indebted in the amount of P249,355.32, constitutional provisions relating to due process of law the Supreme Court of
plus the interest, to the 'Banco Espanol-Filipino' . . . therefore said the United States has refrained from attempting to define with precision the
appellant is ordered to deliver the above amount etc., etc. meaning of that expression, the reason being that the idea expressed therein
is applicable under so many diverse conditions as to make any attempt ay
This is not the language of a personal judgment. Instead it is clearly intended precise definition hazardous and unprofitable. As applied to a judicial
merely as a compliance with the requirement that the amount due shall be proceeding, however, it may be laid down with certainty that the requirement
ascertained and that the evidence of this it may be observed that according to of due process is satisfied if the following conditions are present, namely; (1)
the Code of Civil Procedure a personal judgment against the debtor for the There must be a court or tribunal clothed with judicial power to hear and
deficiency is not to be rendered until after the property has been sold and the determine the matter before it; (2) jurisdiction must be lawfully acquired over
proceeds applied to the mortgage debt. (sec. 260). the person of the defendant or over the property which is the subject of the
proceeding; (3) the defendant must be given an opportunity to be heard; and
The conclusion upon this phase of the case is that whatever may be the effect (4) judgment must be rendered upon lawful hearing.
in other respects of the failure of the clerk of the Court of First Instance to mail
the proper papers to the defendant in Amoy, China, such irregularity could in Passing at once to the requisite that the defendant shall have an opportunity
no wise impair or defeat the jurisdiction of the court, for in our opinion that to be heard, we observe that in a foreclosure case some notification of the
jurisdiction rest upon a basis much more secure than would be supplied by proceedings to the nonresident owner, prescribing the time within which
any form of notice that could be given to a resident of a foreign country. appearance must be made, is everywhere recognized as essential. To
answer this necessity the statutes generally provide for publication, and
usually in addition thereto, for the mailing of notice to the defendant, if his
residence is known. Though commonly called constructive, or substituted cases, it is his misfortune, and he must abide the consequences. (6 R.
service of process in any true sense. It is merely a means provided by law C. L., sec. 445 [p. 450]).
whereby the owner may be admonished that his property is the subject of
judicial proceedings and that it is incumbent upon him to take such steps as It has been well said by an American court:
he sees fit to protect it. In speaking of notice of this character a distinguish
master of constitutional law has used the following language: If property of a nonresident cannot be reached by legal process upon
the constructive notice, then our statutes were passed in vain, and are
. . . if the owners are named in the proceedings, and personal notice is mere empty legislative declarations, without either force, or meaning;
provided for, it is rather from tenderness to their interests, and in order for if the person is not within the jurisdiction of the court, no personal
to make sure that the opportunity for a hearing shall not be lost to judgment can be rendered, and if the judgment cannot operate upon
them, than from any necessity that the case shall assume that form. the property, then no effective judgment at all can be rendered, so that
(Cooley on Taxation [2d. ed.], 527, quoted in Leigh vs. Green, 193 U. the result would be that the courts would be powerless to assist a
S., 79, 80.) citizen against a nonresident. Such a result would be a deplorable one.
(Quarl vs. Abbett, 102 Ind., 233; 52 Am. Rep., 662, 667.)
It will be observed that this mode of notification does not involve any absolute
assurance that the absent owner shall thereby receive actual notice. The It is, of course universally recognized that the statutory provisions relative to
periodical containing the publication may never in fact come to his hands, and publication or other form of notice against a nonresident owner should be
the chances that he should discover the notice may often be very slight. Even complied with; and in respect to the publication of notice in the newspaper it
where notice is sent by mail the probability of his receiving it, though much may be stated that strict compliance with the requirements of the law has
increased, is dependent upon the correctness of the address to which it is been held to be essential. In Guaranty Trust etc. Co. vs. Green Cove etc.,
forwarded as well as upon the regularity and security of the mail service. It will Railroad Co. (139 U. S., 137, 138), it was held that where newspaper
be noted, furthermore, that the provision of our law relative to the mailing of publication was made for 19 weeks, when the statute required 20, the
notice does not absolutely require the mailing of notice unconditionally and in publication was insufficient.
every event, but only in the case where the defendant's residence is known.
In the light of all these facts, it is evident that actual notice to the defendant in With respect to the provisions of our own statute, relative to the sending of
cases of this kind is not, under the law, to be considered absolutely notice by mail, the requirement is that the judge shall direct that the notice be
necessary. deposited in the mail by the clerk of the court, and it is not in terms declared
that the notice must be deposited in the mail. We consider this to be of some
The idea upon which the law proceeds in recognizing the efficacy of a means significance; and it seems to us that, having due regard to the principles upon
of notification which may fall short of actual notice is apparently this: Property which the giving of such notice is required, the absent owner of the
is always assumed to be in the possession of its owner, in person or by mortgaged property must, so far as the due process of law is concerned, take
agent; and he may be safely held, under certain conditions, to be affected the risk incident to the possible failure of the clerk to perform his duty,
with knowledge that proceedings have been instituted for its condemnation somewhat as he takes the risk that the mail clerk or the mail carrier might
and sale. possibly lose or destroy the parcel or envelope containing the notice before it
should reach its destination and be delivered to him. This idea seems to be
It is the duty of the owner of real estate, who is a nonresident, to take strengthened by the consideration that placing upon the clerk the duty of
measures that in some way he shall be represented when his property sending notice by mail, the performance of that act is put effectually beyond
is called into requisition, and if he fails to do this, and fails to get notice the control of the plaintiff in the litigation. At any rate it is obvious that so much
by the ordinary publications which have usually been required in such of section 399 of the Code of Civil Procedure as relates to the sending of
notice by mail was complied with when the court made the order. The simple irregularity of procedure; and it would be idle to pretend that even in
question as to what may be the consequences of the failure of the record to this aspect the irregularity is not grave enough. From this point of view,
show the proof of compliance with that requirement will be discussed by us however, it is obvious that any motion to vacate the judgment on the ground
further on. of the irregularity in question must fail unless it shows that the defendant was
prejudiced by that irregularity. The least, therefore, that can be required of the
The observations which have just been made lead to the conclusion that the proponent of such a motion is to show that he had a good defense against the
failure of the clerk to mail the notice, if in fact he did so fail in his duty, is not action to foreclose the mortgage. Nothing of the kind is, however, shown
such an irregularity, as amounts to a denial of due process of law; and hence either in the motion or in the affidavit which accompanies the motion.
in our opinion that irregularity, if proved, would not avoid the judgment in this
case. Notice was given by publication in a newspaper and this is the only An application to open or vacate a judgment because of an irregularity or
form of notice which the law unconditionally requires. This in our opinion is all defect in the proceedings is usually required to be supported by an affidavit
that was absolutely necessary to sustain the proceedings. showing the grounds on which the relief is sought, and in addition to this
showing also a meritorious defense to the action. It is held that a general
It will be observed that in considering the effect of this irregularity, it makes a statement that a party has a good defense to the action is insufficient. The
difference whether it be viewed as a question involving jurisdiction or as a necessary facts must be averred. Of course if a judgment is void upon its face
question involving due process of law. In the matter of jurisdiction there can a showing of the existence of a meritorious defense is not necessary. (10 R.
be no distinction between the much and the little. The court either has C. L., 718.)
jurisdiction or it has not; and if the requirement as to the mailing of notice
should be considered as a step antecedent to the acquiring of jurisdiction, The lapse of time is also a circumstance deeply affecting this aspect of the
there could be no escape from the conclusion that the failure to take that step case. In this connection we quote the following passage from the
was fatal to the validity of the judgment. In the application of the idea of due encyclopedic treatise now in course of publication:
process of law, on the other hand, it is clearly unnecessary to be so rigorous.
The jurisdiction being once established, all that due process of law thereafter Where, however, the judgment is not void on its face, and may
requires is an opportunity for the defendant to be heard; and as publication therefore be enforced if permitted to stand on the record, courts in
was duly made in the newspaper, it would seem highly unreasonable to hold many instances refuse to exercise their quasi equitable powers to
that failure to mail the notice was fatal. We think that in applying the vacate a judgement after the lapse of the term ay which it was entered,
requirement of due process of law, it is permissible to reflect upon the except in clear cases, to promote the ends of justice, and where it
purposes of the provision which is supposed to have been violated and the appears that the party making the application is himself without fault
principle underlying the exercise of judicial power in these proceedings. and has acted in good faith and with ordinary diligence. Laches on the
Judge in the light of these conceptions, we think that the provision of Act of part of the applicant, if unexplained, is deemed sufficient ground for
Congress declaring that no person shall be deprived of his property without refusing the relief to which he might otherwise be entitled. Something
due process of law has not been infringed. is due to the finality of judgments, and acquiescence or unnecessary
delay is fatal to motions of this character, since courts are always
In the progress of this discussion we have stated the two conclusions; (1) that reluctant to interfere with judgments, and especially where they have
the failure of the clerk to send the notice to the defendant by mail did not been executed or satisfied. The moving party has the burden of
destroy the jurisdiction of the court and (2) that such irregularity did not showing diligence, and unless it is shown affirmatively the court will not
infringe the requirement of due process of law. As a consequence of these ordinarily exercise its discretion in his favor. (15 R. C. L., 694, 695.)
conclusions the irregularity in question is in some measure shorn of its
potency. It is still necessary, however, to consider its effect considered as a
It is stated in the affidavit that the defendant, Engracio Palanca Tanquinyeng presumption, supported by the circumstances of this case, ,we do not hesitate
y Limquingco, died January 29, 1910. The mortgage under which the property to found the conclusion that the defendant voluntarily abandoned all thought
was sold was executed far back in 1906; and the proceedings in the of saving his property from the obligation which he had placed upon it; that
foreclosure were closed by the order of court confirming the sale dated knowledge of the proceedings should be imputed to him; and that he
August 7, 1908. It passes the rational bounds of human credulity to suppose acquiesced in the consequences of those proceedings after they had been
that a man who had placed a mortgage upon property worth nearly P300,000 accomplished. Under these circumstances it is clear that the merit of this
and had then gone away from the scene of his life activities to end his days in motion is, as we have already stated, adversely affected in a high degree by
the city of Amoy, China, should have long remained in ignorance of the fact the delay in asking for relief. Nor is it an adequate reply to say that the
that the mortgage had been foreclosed and the property sold, even supposing proponent of this motion is an administrator who only qualified a few months
that he had no knowledge of those proceedings while they were being before this motion was made. No disability on the part of the defendant
conducted. It is more in keeping with the ordinary course of things that he himself existed from the time when the foreclosure was effected until his
should have acquired information as to what was transpiring in his affairs at death; and we believe that the delay in the appointment of the administrator
Manila; and upon the basis of this rational assumption we are authorized, in and institution of this action is a circumstance which is imputable to the
the absence of proof to the contrary, to presume that he did have, or soon parties in interest whoever they may have been. Of course if the minor heirs
acquired, information as to the sale of his property. had instituted an action in their own right to recover the property, it would
have been different.
The Code of Civil Procedure, indeed, expressly declares that there is a
presumption that things have happened according to the ordinary habits of life It is, however, argued that the defendant has suffered prejudice by reason of
(sec. 334 [26]); and we cannot conceive of a situation more appropriate than the fact that the bank became the purchaser of the property at the foreclosure
this for applying the presumption thus defined by the lawgiver. In support of sale for a price greatly below that which had been agreed upon in the
this presumption, as applied to the present case, it is permissible to consider mortgage as the upset price of the property. In this connection, it appears that
the probability that the defendant may have received actual notice of these in article nine of the mortgage which was the subject of this foreclosure, as
proceedings from the unofficial notice addressed to him in Manila which was amended by the notarial document of July 19, 1906, the parties to this
mailed by an employee of the bank's attorneys. Adopting almost the exact mortgage made a stipulation to the effect that the value therein placed upon
words used by the Supreme Court of the United States in Grannis vs. the mortgaged properties should serve as a basis of sale in case the debt
Ordeans (234 U. S., 385; 58 L. ed., 1363), we may say that in view of the should remain unpaid and the bank should proceed to a foreclosure. The
well-known skill of postal officials and employees in making proper delivery of upset price stated in that stipulation for all the parcels involved in this
letters defectively addressed, we think the presumption is clear and strong foreclosure was P286,000. It is said in behalf of the appellant that when the
that this notice reached the defendant, there being no proof that it was ever bank bought in the property for the sum of P110,200 it violated that
returned by the postal officials as undelivered. And if it was delivered in stipulation.
Manila, instead of being forwarded to Amoy, China, there is a probability that
the recipient was a person sufficiently interested in his affairs to send it or It has been held by this court that a clause in a mortgage providing for a tipo,
communicate its contents to him. or upset price, does not prevent a foreclosure, nor affect the validity of a sale
made in the foreclosure proceedings. (Yangco vs. Cruz Herrera and Wy
Of course if the jurisdiction of the court or the sufficiency of the process of law Piaco, 11 Phil. Rep., 402; Banco-Español Filipino vs. Donaldson, Sim and
depended upon the mailing of the notice by the clerk, the reflections in which Co., 5 Phil. Rep., 418.) In both the cases here cited the property was
we are now indulging would be idle and frivolous; but the considerations purchased at the foreclosure sale, not by the creditor or mortgagee, but by a
mentioned are introduced in order to show the propriety of applying to this third party. Whether the same rule should be applied in a case where the
situation the legal presumption to which allusion has been made. Upon that mortgagee himself becomes the purchaser has apparently not been decided
by this court in any reported decision, and this question need not here be In the preceding discussion we have assumed that the clerk failed to send the
considered, since it is evident that if any liability was incurred by the bank by notice by post as required by the order of the court. We now proceed to
purchasing for a price below that fixed in the stipulation, its liability was a consider whether this is a proper assumption; and the proposition which we
personal liability derived from the contract of mortgage; and as we have propose to establish is that there is a legal presumption that the clerk
already demonstrated such a liability could not be the subject of adjudication performed his duty as the ministerial officer of the court, which presumption is
in an action where the court had no jurisdiction over the person of the not overcome by any other facts appearing in the cause.
defendant. If the plaintiff bank became liable to account for the difference
between the upset price and the price at which in bought in the property, that In subsection 14 of section 334 of the Code of Civil Procedure it is declared
liability remains unaffected by the disposition which the court made of this that there is a presumption "that official duty has been regularly performed;"
case; and the fact that the bank may have violated such an obligation can in and in subsection 18 it is declared that there is a presumption "that the
no wise affect the validity of the judgment entered in the Court of First ordinary course of business has been followed." These presumptions are of
Instance. course in no sense novelties, as they express ideas which have always been
recognized. Omnia presumuntur rite et solemniter esse acta donec probetur
In connection with the entire failure of the motion to show either a meritorious in contrarium. There is therefore clearly a legal presumption that the clerk
defense to the action or that the defendant had suffered any prejudice of performed his duty about mailing this notice; and we think that strong
which the law can take notice, we may be permitted to add that in our opinion considerations of policy require that this presumption should be allowed to
a motion of this kind, which proposes to unsettle judicial proceedings long ago operate with full force under the circumstances of this case. A party to an
closed, can not be considered with favor, unless based upon grounds which action has no control over the clerk of the court; and has no right to meddle
appeal to the conscience of the court. Public policy requires that judicial unduly with the business of the clerk in the performance of his duties. Having
proceedings be upheld. The maximum here applicable is non quieta movere. no control over this officer, the litigant must depend upon the court to see that
As was once said by Judge Brewer, afterwards a member of the Supreme the duties imposed on the clerk are performed.
Court of the United States:
Other considerations no less potent contribute to strengthen the conclusion
Public policy requires that judicial proceedings be upheld, and that just stated. There is no principle of law better settled than that after
titles obtained in those proceedings be safe from the ruthless hand of jurisdiction has once been required, every act of a court of general jurisdiction
collateral attack. If technical defects are adjudged potent to destroy shall be presumed to have been rightly done. This rule is applied to every
such titles, a judicial sale will never realize that value of the property, judgment or decree rendered in the various stages of the proceedings from
for no prudent man will risk his money in bidding for and buying that their initiation to their completion (Voorhees vs. United States Bank, 10 Pet.,
title which he has reason to fear may years thereafter be swept away 314; 35 U. S., 449); and if the record is silent with respect to any fact which
through some occult and not readily discoverable defect. (Martin vs. must have been established before the court could have rightly acted, it will
Pond, 30 Fed., 15.) be presumed that such fact was properly brought to its knowledge. (The
Lessee of Grignon vs. Astor, 2 How., 319; 11 L. ed., 283.)
In the case where that language was used an attempt was made to annul
certain foreclosure proceedings on the ground that the affidavit upon which In making the order of sale [of the real state of a decedent] the court
the order of publication was based erroneously stated that the State of are presumed to have adjudged every question necessary to justify
Kansas, when he was in fact residing in another State. It was held that this such order or decree, viz: The death of the owners; that the petitioners
mistake did not affect the validity of the proceedings. were his administrators; that the personal estate was insufficient to pay
the debts of the deceased; that the private acts of Assembly, as to the
manner of sale, were within the constitutional power of the Legislature,
 and that all the provisions of the law as to notices which are directory The presumption that the clerk performed his duty and that the court made its
to the administrators have been complied with. . . . The court is not decree with the knowledge that the requirements of law had been complied
bound to enter upon the record the evidence on which any fact was with appear to be amply sufficient to support the conclusion that the notice
decided. (Florentine vs. Barton, 2 Wall., 210; 17 L. ed., 785.) was sent by the clerk as required by the order. It is true that there ought to be
Especially does all this apply after long lapse of time. found among the papers on file in this cause an affidavit, as required by
section 400 of the Code of Civil Procedure, showing that the order was in fact
Applegate vs. Lexington and Carter County Mining Co. (117 U. S., 255) so sent by the clerk; and no such affidavit appears. The record is therefore
contains an instructive discussion in a case analogous to that which is now silent where it ought to speak. But the very purpose of the law in recognizing
before us. It there appeared that in order to foreclose a mortgage in the State these presumptions is to enable the court to sustain a prior judgment in the
of Kentucky against a nonresident debtor it was necessary that publication face of such an omission. If we were to hold that the judgment in this case is
should be made in a newspaper for a specified period of time, also be posted void because the proper affidavit is not present in the file of papers which we
at the front door of the court house and be published on some Sunday, call the record, the result would be that in the future every title in the Islands
immediately after divine service, in such church as the court should direct. In resting upon a judgment like that now before us would depend, for its
a certain action judgment had been entered against a nonresident, after continued security, upon the presence of such affidavit among the papers and
publication in pursuance of these provisions. Many years later the validity of would be liable at any moment to be destroyed by the disappearance of that
the proceedings was called in question in another action. It was proved from piece of paper. We think that no court, with a proper regard for the security of
the files of an ancient periodical that publication had been made in its judicial proceedings and for the interests which have by law been confided to
columns as required by law; but no proof was offered to show the publication the courts, would incline to favor such a conclusion. In our opinion the proper
of the order at the church, or the posting of it at the front door of the court- course in a case of this kind is to hold that the legal presumption that the clerk
house. It was insisted by one of the parties that the judgment of the court was performed his duty still maintains notwithstanding the absence from the
void for lack of jurisdiction. But the Supreme Court of the United States said: record of the proper proof of that fact.

The court which made the decree . . . was a court of general In this connection it is important to bear in mind that under the practice
jurisdiction. Therefore every presumption not inconsistent with the prevailing in the Philippine Islands the word "record" is used in a loose and
record is to be indulged in favor of its jurisdiction. . . . It is to be broad sense, as indicating the collective mass of papers which contain the
presumed that the court before making its decree took care of to see history of all the successive steps taken in a case and which are finally
that its order for constructive service, on which its right to make the deposited in the archives of the clerk's office as a memorial of the litigation. It
decree depended, had been obeyed. is a matter of general information that no judgment roll, or book of final record,
is commonly kept in our courts for the purpose of recording the pleadings and
It is true that in this case the former judgment was the subject of collateral , or principal proceedings in actions which have been terminated; and in
indirect attack, while in the case at bar the motion to vacate the judgment is particular, no such record is kept in the Court of First Instance of the city of
direct proceeding for relief against it. The same general presumption, Manila. There is, indeed, a section of the Code of Civil Procedure which
however, is indulged in favor of the judgment of a court of general jurisdiction, directs that such a book of final record shall be kept; but this provision has, as
whether it is the subject of direct or indirect attack the only difference being a matter of common knowledge, been generally ignored. The result is that in
that in case of indirect attack the judgment is conclusively presumed to be the present case we do not have the assistance of the recitals of such a
valid unless the record affirmatively shows it to be void, while in case of direct record to enable us to pass upon the validity of this judgment and as already
attack the presumption in favor of its validity may in certain cases be stated the question must be determined by examining the papers contained in
overcome by proof extrinsic to the record. the entire file.
But it is insisted by counsel for this motion that the affidavit of Bernardo Chan effective judgment of the court, to the end that the litigation may again resume
y Garcia showing that upon April 4, 1908, he sent a notification through the its regular course.
mail addressed to the defendant at Manila, Philippine Islands, should be
accepted as affirmative proof that the clerk of the court failed in his duty and There is only one section of the Code of Civil Procedure which expressly
that, instead of himself sending the requisite notice through the mail, he relied recognizes the authority of a Court of First Instance to set aside a final
upon Bernardo to send it for him. We do not think that this is by any means a judgment and permit a renewal of the litigation in the same cause. This is as
necessary inference. Of course if it had affirmatively appeared that the clerk follows:
himself had attempted to comply with this order and had directed the
notification to Manila when he should have directed it to Amoy, this would be SEC. 113. Upon such terms as may be just the court may relieve a
conclusive that he had failed to comply with the exact terms of the order; but party or legal representative from the judgment, order, or other
such is not this case. That the clerk of the attorneys for the plaintiff proceeding taken against him through his mistake, inadvertence,
erroneously sent a notification to the defendant at a mistaken address affords surprise, or excusable neglect; Provided, That application thereof be
in our opinion very slight basis for supposing that the clerk may not have sent made within a reasonable time, but in no case exceeding six months
notice to the right address. after such judgment, order, or proceeding was taken.

There is undoubtedly good authority to support the position that when the An additional remedy by petition to the Supreme Court is supplied by section
record states the evidence or makes an averment with reference to a 513 of the same Code. The first paragraph of this section, in so far as
jurisdictional fact, it will not be presumed that there was other or different pertinent to this discussion, provides as follows:
evidence respecting the fact, or that the fact was otherwise than stated. If, to
give an illustration, it appears from the return of the officer that the summons When a judgment is rendered by a Court of First Instance upon default,
was served at a particular place or in a particular manner, it will not be and a party thereto is unjustly deprived of a hearing by fraud, accident,
presumed that service was also made at another place or in a different mistake or excusable negligence, and the Court of First Instance which
manner; or if it appears that service was made upon a person other than the rendered the judgment has finally adjourned so that no adequate
defendant, it will not be presumed, in the silence of the record, that it was remedy exists in that court, the party so deprived of a hearing may
made upon the defendant also (Galpin vs. Page, 18 Wall., 350, 366; present his petition to the Supreme Court within sixty days after he first
Settlemier vs. Sullivan, 97 U. S., 444, 449). While we believe that these learns of the rendition of such judgment, and not thereafter, setting
propositions are entirely correct as applied to the case where the person forth the facts and praying to have judgment set aside. . . .
making the return is the officer who is by law required to make the return, we
do not think that it is properly applicable where, as in the present case, the It is evident that the proceeding contemplated in this section is intended to
affidavit was made by a person who, so far as the provisions of law are supplement the remedy provided by section 113; and we believe the
concerned, was a mere intermeddler. conclusion irresistible that there is no other means recognized by law
whereby a defeated party can, by a proceeding in the same cause, procure a
The last question of importance which we propose to consider is whether a judgment to be set aside, with a view to the renewal of the litigation.
motion in the cause is admissible as a proceeding to obtain relief in such a
case as this. If the motion prevails the judgment of July 2, 1908, and all The Code of Civil Procedure purports to be a complete system of practice in
subsequent proceedings will be set aside, and the litigation will be renewed, civil causes, and it contains provisions describing with much fullness the
proceeding again from the date mentioned as if the progress of the action had various steps to be taken in the conduct of such proceedings. To this end it
not been interrupted. The proponent of the motion does not ask the favor of defines with precision the method of beginning, conducting, and concluding
being permitted to interpose a defense. His purpose is merely to annul the the civil action of whatever species; and by section 795 of the same Code it is
declared that the procedure in all civil action shall be in accordance with the conclusion for this court to recognize such a proceeding as proper under
provisions of this Code. We are therefore of the opinion that the remedies conditions different from those defined by law. Upon the point of procedure
prescribed in sections 113 and 513 are exclusive of all others, so far as here involved, we refer to the case of People vs. Harrison (84 Cal., 607)
relates to the opening and continuation of a litigation which has been once wherein it was held that a motion will not lie to vacate a judgment after the
concluded. lapse of the time limited by statute if the judgment is not void on its face; and
in all cases, after the lapse of the time limited by statute if the judgment is not
The motion in the present case does not conform to the requirements of void on its face; and all cases, after the lapse of such time, when an attempt
either of these provisions; and the consequence is that in our opinion the is made to vacate the judgment by a proceeding in court for that purpose an
action of the Court of First Instance in dismissing the motion was proper. action regularly brought is preferable, and should be required. It will be noted
taken verbatim from the California Code (sec. 473).
If the question were admittedly one relating merely to an irregularity of
procedure, we cannot suppose that this proceeding would have taken the The conclusions stated in this opinion indicate that the judgment appealed
form of a motion in the cause, since it is clear that, if based on such an error, from is without error, and the same is accordingly affirmed, with costs. So
the came to late for relief in the Court of First Instance. But as we have ordered.
already seen, the motion attacks the judgment of the court as void for want of
jurisdiction over the defendant. The idea underlying the motion therefore is Arellano, C.J., Torres, Carson, and Avanceña, JJ., concur.
that inasmuch as the judgment is a nullity it can be attacked in any way and at
any time. If the judgment were in fact void upon its face, that is, if it were
shown to be a nullity by virtue of its own recitals, there might possibly be
something in this. Where a judgment or judicial order is void in this sense it
may be said to be a lawless thing, which can be treated as an outlaw and Separate Opinions
slain at sight, or ignored wherever and whenever it exhibits its head.
MALCOLM, J., dissenting:
But the judgment in question is not void in any such sense. It is entirely
regular in form, and the alleged defect is one which is not apparent upon its I dissent. It will not make me long to state my reasons. An immutable attribute
face. It follows that even if the judgment could be shown to be void for want of — the fundamental idea — of due process of law is that no man shall be
jurisdiction, or for lack of due process of law, the party aggrieved thereby is condemned in his person or property without notice and an opportunity of
bound to resort to some appropriate proceeding to obtain relief. Under being heard in his defense. Protection of the parties demands a strict and an
accepted principles of law and practice, long recognized in American courts, a exact compliance with this constitutional provision in our organic law and of
proper remedy in such case, after the time for appeal or review has passed, is the statutory provisions in amplification. Literally hundreds of precedents
for the aggrieved party to bring an action to enjoin the judgment, if not already could be cited in support of these axiomatic principles. Where as in the instant
carried into effect; or if the property has already been disposed of he may case the defendant received no notice and had no opportunity to be heard,
institute suit to recover it. In every situation of this character an appropriate certainly we cannot say that there is due process of law. Resultantly, "A
remedy is at hand; and if property has been taken without due process, the judgment which is void upon its face, and which requires only an inspection of
law concedes due process to recover it. We accordingly old that, assuming the judgment roll to demonstrate its want of vitality is a dead limb upon the
the judgment to have been void as alleged by the proponent of this motion, judicial tree, which should be lopped off, if the power so to do exists. It can
the proper remedy was by an original proceeding and not by motion in the bear no fruit to the plaintiff, but is a constant menace to the defendant." (Mills
cause. As we have already seen our Code of Civil Procedure defines the vs. Dickons, 6 Rich [S. C.], 487.)
conditions under which relief against a judgment may be productive of