CREDIT TRANSACTIONS CASE DIGEST/ MAKATI LEASING VS. WEAREVER TEXTILE, 122 SCRA 296 (1983)
MAKATI LEASING VS. WEAREVER TEXTILE,
122 SCRA 296 (1983)
TOPIC/DOCTRINE
Where a chattel mortgage is constituted on machinery permanently
attached to the ground the machinery is to be considered as personal property
and the chattel mortgage constituted thereon is not null and void, regardless
of who owns the land.
FACTS
To obtain financial accommodations from
Makati Leasing, Wearever Textile discounted and assigned several receivables
under a Receivable Purchase Agreement with Makati Leasing. To secure the
collection of receivables, it executed a chattel mortgage over several raw
materials and a machinery – Artos Aero Dryer Stentering Range (Dryer).
Wearever defaulted thus the properties mortgaged were extrajudicially
foreclosed. The sheriff, after the restraining order was lifted, was able to
enter the premises of Wearever and removed the drive motor of the Dryer. The CA
reversed the order of the CFI, ordering the return of the drive motor since it
cannot be the subject of a replevin suit being an immovable bolted to the
ground.
ISSUE
Whether the seized drive motor cannot be a subject of
chattel mortgage, because it is a real property pursuant to Article 4151 of the
new Civil Code.
RULING
No.
The court held that where a chattel mortgage is constituted
on machinery permanently attached to the ground the machinery is to be
considered as personal property and the chattel mortgage constituted thereon is
not null and void, regardless of who owns the land. If a house of strong
materials, like what was involved in the above Tumalad case, may be considered
as personal property for purposes of executing a chattel mortgage thereon as
long as the parties to the contract so agree and no innocent third party will be
prejudiced thereby, there is absolutely no reason why a machinery, which is
movable in its nature and becomes immobilized only by destination or purpose,
may not be likewise treated as such. This is really because one who has so
agreed is estopped from denying the existence of the chattel mortgage.