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3) SSS vs. Aguas, G.R. No. 165546, 27 February 2006
3) SSS vs. Aguas, G.R. No. 165546, 27 February 2006
DECISION
CALLEJO, SR ., J : p
On March 14, 2001, the SSC rendered a decision denying the claims for lack of
merit and ordering Rosanna to immediately refund to the SSS the amount of
P10,350.00 erroneously paid to her and Jeylnn as primary bene ciaries of the
deceased. The SSC likewise directed the SSS to pay the death bene t to quali ed
secondary beneficiaries of the deceased, and in their absence, to his legal heirs. 2 8
The SSC ruled that Rosanna was no longer quali ed as primary bene ciary, it
appearing that she had contracted marriage with Romeo dela Peña during the
subsistence of her marriage to Pablo. The SSC based its conclusion on the birth
certi cate of Jefren dela Peña stating that his mother, Rosanna, and father, Romeo dela
Peña, were married on November 1, 1990. The SSC declared that Rosanna had a child
with Romeo dela Peña while she was still married to Pablo (as evidenced by the
baptismal certi cate of Jenelyn H. dela Peña showing that she was the child of
Rosanna Hernandez and Romeo dela Peña and that she was born on January 29, 1992).
The SSC concluded that Rosanna was no longer entitled to support from Pablo prior to
his death because of her act of adultery. As for Jeylnn, the SSC ruled that, even if her
birth certi cate was signed by Pablo as her father, there was more compelling evidence
that Jeylnn was not his legitimate child. The SSC deduced from the records that Jeylnn
and Jenelyn was one and the same person and concluded, based on the latter's
baptismal certi cate, that she was the daughter of Rosanna and Romeo dela Peña. It
also gave credence to the testimonies of Leticia and Mariquita that Jeylnn was the child
of Rosanna and Romeo dela Peña. As for Janet, the SSC relied on Leticia's declaration
that she was only adopted by Pablo and Rosanna. 2 9
The claimants led a motion for reconsideration of the said decision but their
motion was denied by the SSC for lack of merit and for having been led out of time. 3 0
The claimants then elevated the case to the CA via a petition for review under Rule 43 of
the Rules of Court.
On September 9, 2003, the CA rendered a decision in favor of petitioners. The
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fallo of the decision reads:
WHEREFORE , the resolution and order appealed from are hereby
REVERSED and SET ASIDE , and a new one is entered DECLARING petitioners
as ENTITLED to the SSS bene ts accruing from the death of Pablo Aguas. The
case is hereby REMANDED to public respondent for purposes of computing the
bene ts that may have accrued in favor of petitioners after the same was cut and
suspended in September 1997.
SO ORDERED. 3 1
In so ruling, the CA relied on the birth certi cates of Janet and Jeylnn showing
that they were the children of the deceased. According to the appellate court, for
judicial purposes, these records were binding upon the parties, including the SSS. These
entries made in public documents may only be challenged through adversarial
proceedings in courts of law, and may not be altered by mere testimonies of witnesses
to the contrary. As for Rosanna, the CA found no evidence to show that she ceased to
receive support from Pablo before he died. Rosanna's alleged affair with Romeo dela
Peña was not properly proven. In any case, even if Rosanna married Romeo dela Peña
during her marriage to Pablo, the same would have been a void marriage; it would not
have ipso facto made her not dependent for support upon Pablo and negate the
presumption that, as the surviving spouse, she is entitled to support from her husband.
32
The SSS led a motion for reconsideration of the decision, which the CA denied
for lack of merit. 3 3 Hence, this petition.
Petitioner seeks a reversal of the decision of the appellate court, contending that
it AETcSa
I
GRAVELY ERRED IN HOLDING THAT ROSANNA AGUAS IS ACTUALLY
DEPENDENT FOR SUPPORT UPON THE MEMBER DURING HIS LIFETIME TO
QUALIFY AS PRIMARY BENEFICIARY WITHIN THE INTENDMENT OF SECTION
8(e), IN RELATION TO SECTION (k) OF THE SSS LAW, AS AMENDED.
II
ERRED IN HOLDING THAT JANET AGUAS AND JEYLNN AGUAS ARE ENTITLED
TO THE PENSION BENEFIT ACCRUING FROM THE DEATH OF PABLO AGUAS. 3 4
Respondents, for their part, assert that petitioner failed to prove that Rosanna
committed acts of adultery or that she married another man after the death of her
husband. They contend that Janet and Jeylnn's legitimacy may be impugned only on the
grounds stated in Article 166 of the Family Code, none of which were proven in this
case. 3 7
The issue to be resolved in this case is whether Rosanna, Jeylnn and Janet are
entitled to the SSS death benefits accruing from the death of Pablo.
The petition is partly meritorious.
The general rule is that only questions of law may be raised by the parties and
passed upon by the Court in petitions for review under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court. 3 8
In an appeal via certiorari, the Court may not review the factual ndings of the CA. 3 9 It
is not the Court's function under Rule 45 to review, examine, and evaluate or weigh the
probative value of the evidence presented. 4 0 However, the Court may review ndings
of facts in some instances, such as, when the judgment is based on a misapprehension
of facts, when the ndings of the CA are contrary to those of the trial court or quasi-
judicial agency, or when the ndings of facts of the CA are premised on the absence of
evidence and are contradicted by the evidence on record. 4 1 The Court nds these
instances present in this case.
At the time of Pablo's death, the prevailing law was Republic Act No. 1161, as
amended by Presidential Decree No. 735. Section 13 of the law enumerates those who
are entitled to death benefits:
Sec. 13. Death bene ts . — Effective July 1, 1975, upon the covered
employee's death, (a) his primary bene ciaries shall be entitled to the basic
monthly pension, and his dependents to the dependent's pension: Provided, That
he has paid at least thirty-six monthly contributions prior to the semester of death:
Provided, further, That if the foregoing condition is not satis ed, or if he has no
primary bene ciaries, his secondary bene ciaries shall be entitled to a lump sum
bene t equivalent to thirty times the basic monthly pension: Provided, however,
That the death bene t shall not be less than the total contributions paid by him
and his employer on his behalf nor less than ve hundred pesos: Provided, nally,
That the covered employee who dies in the month of coverage shall be entitled to
the minimum benefit. TCEaDI
Section 8(k) and (e), in turn, de nes dependents and primary bene ciaries of an
SSS member as follows:
SECTION 8. Terms de ned . — For the purposes of this Act the
following terms shall, unless the context indicates otherwise, have the following
meanings:
xxx xxx xxx
Whoever claims entitlement to such bene ts should establish his or her right
thereto by substantial evidence. Substantial evidence, the quantum of evidence required
to establish a fact in cases before administrative or quasi-judicial bodies, is that level of
relevant evidence which a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to justify a
conclusion. 4 2
The Court has reviewed the records of the case and nds that only Jeylnn has
sufficiently established her right to a monthly pension.
Jeylnn's claim is justi ed by the photocopy of her birth certi cate which bears
the signature of Pablo. Petitioner was able to authenticate the certi cation from the
Civil Registry showing that she was born on October 29, 1991. The records also show
that Rosanna and Pablo were married on December 4, 1977 and the marriage subsisted
until the latter's death on December 8, 1996. It is therefore evident that Jeylnn was born
during Rosanna and Pablo's marriage.
It bears stressing that under Article 164 of the Family Code, children conceived
or born during the marriage of the parents are legitimate. This Court, in De Jesus v.
Estate of Decedent Juan Gamboa Dizon, 4 3 extensively discussed this presumption —
There is perhaps no presumption of the law more rmly established and
founded on sounder morality and more convincing reason than the presumption
that children born in wedlock are legitimate. This presumption indeed becomes
conclusive in the absence of proof that there is physical impossibility of access
between the spouses during the rst 120 days of the 300 days which immediately
precedes the birth of the child due to (a) the physical incapacity of the husband to
have sexual intercourse with his wife; (b) the fact that the husband and wife are
living separately in such way that sexual intercourse is not possible; or (c) serious
illness of the husband, which absolutely prevents sexual intercourse. Quite
remarkably, upon the expiration of the periods set forth in Article 170, 4 4 and in
proper cases Article 171, 4 5 of the Family Code (which took effect on 03 August
1988), the action to impugn the legitimacy of the child would no longer be legally
feasible and the status conferred by the presumption becomes xed and
unassailable. 4 6
Still, the a davits of Vivencia and Carmelita and their testimonies before the SSC
will not prevail over the categorical and straightforward testimonies of the other
witnesses who testi ed that Rosanna and Pablo had already separated for almost six
years before the latter died. Except for the bare assertion of Carmelita that the couple
never separated, there was no further statement regarding the witnesses' assertion in
their a davits that the couple lived together until Pablo's death. On the contrary, Leticia
narrated that the two separated after Jeylnn's baptism as a result of an argument
regarding Romeo dela Peña. According to Leticia, there was a commotion at their
ancestral house because Romeo dela Peña was grumbling why Jeylnn was named after
Pablo when he was the father, and as a result, Pablo drove them away. The SSC's
observation and conclusion on the two baptismal certi cates of Jeylnn and Jenelyn
convinces this Court to further believe Leticia's testimony on why Pablo and Rosanna
separated. As noted by the SSC:
It appears from the records that Jeylnn Aguas and Jenelyn H. dela Peña
are one and the same person. Jeylnn Aguas, born on October 29, 1991 was
baptized at the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando, Pampanga, on
November 24, 1991 as the child of Pablo Aguas and Rosanna Hernandez. Jenelyn
H dela Peña, on the other hand, was born on January 29, 1992 to spouses
Rosanna Hernandez and Romeo dela Peña and baptized on February 9, 1992. It
will be noted that Jenelyn dela Peña was born approximately three months after
the birth of Jeylnn Aguas. It is physically impossible for Rosanna to have given
birth successively to two children in so short a time. . . . The testimony of Leticia
Aguas-Macapinlac that Rosanna was driven away by Pablo after the baptism of
Jeylnn because of the commotion that was created by Romeo dela Peña who
wanted Jeylnn to be baptized using his name explains why Jeylnn was again
baptized in the Parish of Sto. Niño in San Fernando using the name Jenelyn dela
Peña. They changed her date of birth also to make it appear in the record of the
parish that she is another child of Rosanna. 5 3
On the other hand, Mariquita categorically a rmed that Rosanna was no longer
living at Pablo's house even before he died, and that she is still living with Romeo dela
Peña up to the present. Mariquita testified as follows:
Hearing Officer:
Nagsama ba si Rosanna at Romeo?
Mrs. Dizon:
Ngayon at kahit na noon.
Hearing Officer:
Kailan namatay si Pablo?
Mrs. Dizon:
1996.
Hearing Officer:
Mrs. Dizon:
. . . nagsasama na sila ni Romeo.
Hearing Officer:
Kailan nagkahiwalay si Romeo at Rosanna?
Mrs. Dizon:
Hindi ko alam kasi hindi ako madalas pumunta sa kanila eh, dahil namatay
na yung nanay ni Kuya Pabling, yung tiyahin ko, kapatid ng nanay ko.
Noon madalas ako noong buhay pa yung nanay ni Kuya Pabling dahil
kami ang nag aalaga sa kanya.
Hearing Officer:
Bago namatay si Pablo, nagsasama ba sina Romeo at Rosanna?
Mrs. Dizon:
Oo.
Hearing Officer:
Sa ngayon, may alam ka pa ba kung nagsasama pa sila Romeo at
Rosanna?
Mrs. Dizon:
Oo, nagsasama sila, may bahay sila.
Hearing Officer:
Saan naman?
Mrs. Dizon:
Doon sa malapit sa amin sa may riles ng tren. 5 4
In conclusion, the Court nds that, among respondents, only Jeylnn is entitled to
the SSS death bene ts accruing from the death of Pablo, as it was established that she
is his legitimate child. On the other hand, the records show that Janet was merely
"adopted" by the spouses, but there are no legal papers to prove it; hence, she cannot
qualify as a primary bene ciary. Finally, while Rosanna was the legitimate wife of Pablo,
she is likewise not quali ed as a primary bene ciary since she failed to present any
proof to show that at the time of his death, she was still dependent on him for support
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even if they were already living separately.
IN LIGHT OF ALL THE FOREGOING, the petition is PARTIALLY GRANTED. The
Decision and Resolution of the Court of Appeals are AFFIRMED WITH MODIFICATION.
Only Jeylnn H. Aguas is declared entitled to the SSS death bene ts accruing from the
death of Pablo Aguas. AcHEaS
SO ORDERED.
Panganiban, C.J., Ynares-Santiago and Austria-Martinez, JJ., concur.
Chico-Nazario, J., is on leave.
Footnotes
1. Penned by Associate Justice Eubulo G. Verzola (deceased), with Associate Justices
Remedios Salazar-Fernando and Edgardo F. Sundiam, concurring; rollo, pp. 22-29.
2. Records, p. 27.
3. Id. at 98.
4. Id. at 31.
5. Id. at 32.
6. Id. at 33.
7. Referring to Jeylnn.
8. Records, p. 34.
9. Id. at 12.
10. Id. at 17.
11. Id. at 3-4.
12. Id. at 29.
13. Id. at 51.
14. Id. at 47-49.
15. Id. at 55-58.
16. Id. at 59-60.
17. Id. at 236.
18. Id. at 59.
19. Id. at 67-70.
20. Id. at 72-74.
21. Id. at 11.
22. Id. at 18.
23. Id. at 12.
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24. Id. at 27-28.
25. Id. at 187.
26. Id. at 233.
27. Id. at 232.
28. Rollo, pp. 49-50.
29. Id. at 47-49.
30. Id. at 52.
31. Id. at 28.
32. Id. at 26-27.
33. Id. at 33.
34. Id. at 9.
35. Id. at 10-13.
36. Id. at 14-16.
37. Id. at 68-70.
38. Bank of the Philippine Islands v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 160890, November 10,
2004, 441 SCRA 637.
44. Article 170. The action to impugn the legitimacy of the child shall be brought within one
year from the knowledge of the birth or its recording in the civil register, if the husband
or, in proper case, any of his heirs, should reside in the city or municipality where the
birth took place or was recorded.
If the husband or, in his default, all of his heirs do not reside at the place of birth as
defined in the first paragraph or where it was recorded, the period shall be two years if
they reside in the Philippines; and three years if abroad. If the birth of the child has been
concealed from or was unknown to the husband or his heirs, the period shall be counted
from the discovery or knowledge of the birth of the child or of the fact of registration of
said birth, whichever is earlier.
45. Article 171. The heirs of the husband may impugn the filiation of the child within the
period prescribed in the preceding article only in the following cases:
(1) If the husband should die before the expiration of the period fixed for bringing
his action;
(2) If he should die after the filing of the complaint without having desisted
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therefrom; or
(3) If the child was born after the death of the husband.
46. De Jesus v. Estate of Decedent Juan Gamboa Dizon, supra note 43, at 773-774.
47. Concepcion v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 123450, August 31, 2005.
48. See Angeles v. Maglaya, G.R. No. 153798, September 2, 2005; Reyes v. Court of
Appeals, 220 Phil. 116 (1985).
49. Angeles v. Maglaya, supra.
50. Concepcion v. Court of Appeals, supra note 47.
51. Article 195, Family Code.
52. Re: Application for Survivor's Benefits of Ms. Maylenne G. Manlavi, Daughter of the
Late Ernesto R. Manlavi, A.M. No. 10019-Ret., February 22, 2001, 352 SCRA 518.
53. Rollo, pp. 48-49.
54. Records, pp. 222-223.