MOVABLE PROPERTY

Category: Property, Ownership and Its Modifications

 
Art. 416. The following things are deemed to be personal property:
 
      (1) Those movables susceptible of appropriation which are not included in the preceding article;
 
      (2)  Real  property  which  by  any  special  provision  of  law  is considered as personal property;
 
      (3)  Forces  of  nature  which  are  brought  under  control  by science; and
 
      (4) In general,  all things  which  can be transported from place to place without impairment of the real property to which they are fixed. (335a)
 
Art. 417. The following are also considered as personal property:
 
      (1)   Obligations   and   actions   which   have   for   their   object movables or demandable sums; and
 
      (2)  Shares  of  stock  of  agricultural,  commercial  and  industrial entities, although they may have real estate. (336a)
 
Art. 418. Movable property is either consumable or nonconsumable. To the first class belong those movables which cannot be used in a manner appropriate to their nature without their being consumed;
to the second class belong all the others. (337)
 

CLASSIFICATION OF MOVABLE PROPERTY

1.    According to their nature—consumable or non-consummable
2.    According the the intent of the parties—fungible or non-fungible  
 

PROPERTY IN RELATION TO THE PERSON TO WHOM IT BELONGS

 
Art.  419.  Property  is  either  of  public  dominion  or  of  private ownership. (338)
 
Art. 420. The following things are property of public dominion:
 
      (1) Those intended for public use, such as roads, canals, rivers, torrents, ports and bridges constructed by the State, banks, shores, roadsteads, and others of similar character;
 
      (2)  Those  which  belong  to  the  State,  without  being  for  public use,   and   are   intended   for   some   public   service   or   for   the development of the national wealth. (339a)
 

PUBLIC DOMINION

     Means  ownership  by  the  State  in  that  the  State  has  control  and administration
     Ownership by the public in general
 

THREE KINDS OF PROPERTY UNDER PUBLIC DOMINION

1.    For public use—may be used by anybody
2.    For public service—may be used only by authorized persons
3.    For the development of national wealth—like our natural resources
 

CHARACTERISTICS OF PROPERTIES OF PUBLIC DOMINION

1.    They  are  outside  the  commerce  of  man,  and  cannot  be  leased, donated, sold, or be the object of any contract, except insofar as they  may  be  the  subject  of  repairs  or  improvements  and  other incidental things of similar character

2.    They cannot be acquired by prescription, no matter how long the possession of the properties has been
3.    They cannot be registered under the LRA and be the subject of a Torrens title
4.    They  as  well  as  their  usufruct  may  not  be  levied  upon  by execution nor can they be attached
5.    In general, they may be used by everybody
6.    They may be either real or personal property
 
Art.  421.  All  other  property  of  the  State,  which  is  not  of  the character  stated  in  the  preceding  article,  is  patrimonial  property. (340a)
 

PATRIMONIAL PROPERTY

     Property that the State owns which is not devoted to public use, public service or to the development of the national wealth
     Owned by the State in its private capacity
 
Art. 422. Property of public dominion, when no longer intended for public use or for public service, shall form part of the patrimonial property of the State. (341a)
 
Art.  423.  The  property  of  provinces,  cities,  and  municipalities  is divided into property for public use and patrimonial property. (343)
 

PROPERTIES OF POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS

1.    Property for public use
2.    Patrimonial property
 

ALIENATION OF THE PROPERTIES

     Properties  of  a  political  subdivision  for  public  use  cannot  be alienated as such and may not be acquired through prescription
     Properties  of  a  political  subdivision  which  are  patrimonial  in character  may  be  alienated,  and  may  be  acquired  by  others through prescription
 
Art.  424.  Property  for  public  use,  in  the  provinces,  cities,  and municipalities,   consist   of   the   provincial   roads,   city   streets, municipal    streets,    the    squares,    fountains,    public    waters,
promenades,  and  public  works  for  public  service  paid  for  by  said provinces, cities, or municipalities.
 
All  other  property  possessed  by  any  of  them  is  patrimonial  and shall be governed by this Code, without prejudice to the provisions of special laws. (344a)
 
Art.  425.  Property  of  private  ownership,  besides  the  patrimonial property of the State, provinces, cities, and municipalities, consists of all property belonging to private persons, either  individually or
collectively. (345a)
 

PROVISIONS COMMON TO THE THREE PRECEDING CHAPTERS

 
Art.  426.  Whenever  by  provision  of  the  law,  or  an  individual declaration,  the  expression  "immovable  things  or  property,"  or "movable  things  or  property,"  is  used,  it  shall  be  deemed  to
include,  respectively,  the  things  enumerated  in  Chapter  1  and Chapter 2.
 
Whenever  the  word  "muebles,"  or  "furniture,"  is  used  alone,  it shall   not   be   deemed   to   include   money,   credits,   commercial securities,   stocks   and   bonds,   jewelry,   scientific   or   artistic
collections, books, medals, arms, clothing, horses or carriages and their accessories, grains, liquids and merchandise, or other things which  do  not  have  as  their  principal  object  the  furnishing  or
ornamenting  of  a  building,  except  where  from  the  context  of  the law,  or  the  individual  declaration,  the  contrary  clearly  appears. (346a)
 

USE OF THE WORD MUEBLES

     Word used synonymously with furniture
     Furniture  has  generally  for  its  principal  object  the  furnishing  or ornamenting of a building