CREDIT TRANSACTION CASE DIGEST/ CATHOLIC VICAR APOSTOLIC VS. COURT OF APPEALS/ G. R. NO.80294-95/ 21 SEPTEMBER 1988/ 165 SCRA 515
CREDIT TRANSACTION CASE DIGEST
CATHOLIC VICAR
APOSTOLIC VS. COURT OF APPEALS
G. R.
NO.80294-95, 21 SEPTEMBER 1988, 165 SCRA 515
TOPIC/DOCTRINE
When petitioner borrowed
the house of private respondents’ predecessors and petitioner was allowed its
free use, private respondents became bailors in commodatum, and petitioner, the
bailee.
FACTS
Private
respondents were able to prove that their predecessors’ house was borrowed by
petitioner Vicar after the church and the convent were destroyed. They never
asked for the return of the house, but when they allowed its free use.
The
adverse claim of petitioner came only in 1951 when it declared the lots for
taxation purposes. The action of petitioner Vicar by such adverse claim could
not ripen into the title by way of ordinary acquisitive prescription because of the
absence of just title.
ISSUE
Whether bailees’ failure
to return the subject matter of commodatum to the bailor mean adverse
possession on the part of the borrower.
RULING
The court held in the
negative.
The
court held that the bailees’ failure to return the subject matter of commodatum
to the bailor did not mean adverse possession on the part of the borrower. The
bailee held in trust the property subject matter of commodatum.
Here,
the court held that when private respondents never asked for the return of the
house, but when they allowed its free use, they became bailors in commodatum
and the petitioner the bailee.