CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY LANDLESS RESIDENTS V. COURT OF APPEALS 254 SCRA 220

Category: Property, Ownership and Its Modifications

FACTS:

The  subject  lot  of  this  case  was  formerly  classified  as  timberland  until  the time it was reclassified by the government as public land.  Petitioners were then authorized to survey land, for purposes of subdivision into residential lots.   Meanwhile,  NHA  initiated  expropriation  proceedings  including  the subject  lot.    Petitioner  intervened  and  said  that  instead  of  being  paid through money, it preferred acquisition of any housing area of NHA.  Upon learning of the annulment of the title over the same land, the NHA sought the suspension of the expropriation proceedings.  Thereafter, the SC finally resolved  by  annulling  the  title  and  declaring  the  subject  lot  to  be  public land.    The  Bureau  was  furnished  of  the  decision  and  according  to  an investigation, members of the petitioner was found settling in the land.  A Presidential proclamation was then issued reserving the entire subject land for a slum improvement project of the NHA.  This led to the rejection of the survey  submitted  by  petitioner  and  the  demolition  of  the  settlement constructed by members of the petitioner.  This prompted petitioner to file a  case  for  forcible  entry  on  which  the  trial  court  decided  in  its  favor.  During the pendency of the civil case, a special patent was issued for the entire subject land.  The petitioner sought the execution of decision, which was countered by a case for quieting of title by the NHA.  
 

HELD:

As  an  extraordinary  remedy,  injunction  is  calculated  to  preserve  or maintain  the  status  quo  of  things  and  is  generally  availed  of  to  prevent actual  or  threatened  acts,  until  the  merits  of  the  case  can  be  heard.    As
such,  injunction  is  accepted  as  a  strong  arm  of  equity  or  a  transcendent remedy  to  be  used  cautiously,  as  it  affects  the  respective  rights  of  the parties, and only upon full conviction on the part of the court of its extreme
necessity.  
 
NHA was entitled to the writ of injunction because of the pendency of an appeal  for  forcible  entry;  the  special  patent  issued  to  it  by  the  president over the parcel of land.