Republic v Roxas FACTS: On February 5, 1941, then President Manuel L. Quezon (Quezon) issued Proclaation !o. "#$ con%ertin& 'orest land easurin& around 9$ hectares, situated in an *eodoro, Oriental Mindoro, described on +ureau o' Forestry Ma as Match-ood Forest eser%e. *he Match-ood Forest eser%e -as laced under the adinistration and control o' the +ureau o' Forestry. For the 'ore&oin& urose, President Quezon -ithdre- the 9$ hectares o' 'orest land constitutin& the Match-ood Forest eser%e 'ro entry, sale, or settleent, sub/ect to ri%ate ri&hts, i' there be any. Petitioner eublic, throu&h the 0eartent o' &riculture and !atural esources (0!), entered into Match-ood Plantation Lease &reeent !o. 1 -ith etitioner P*F2 on May 1, 19"5, -herein etitioner eublic leased the entire Match-ood Forest eser%e to etitioner P*F2 'or a eriod o' 5 years, -hich -ould e3ire on une 6, 1996. 2n the eantie, resondent o3as 7led -ith the +ureau o' Lands on 0eceber 9, 1959 8oestead lication.*he 0irector o' Lands issued the 8oestead Patent to resondent o3as on the basis o' -hich, resondent O0 issued an O* in resondent o3ass nae on said date. Petitioner eublic, reresented by the +F0, 7led -ith the * a olaint 'or ancellation o' *itle and:or e%ersion a&ainst resondents o3as and the O0 o%er the sub/ect sub/ ect roerty roert y. Petitioner eublic alle&ed that the sub/ect roerty -as -ithin the Match-ood Forest eser%e and could not be the sub/ect o' ri%ate aroriation and o-nershi; and ossession o' said roerty, roerty, no atter ho- lon& -ould not con%ert the sae into ri%ate roerty. *he * * rendered rendered a 0ecision in resondent resondent o3as
ISSUE: Whether or not petitioner Republic may cause the reversion of the roperty !espite there bein" no frau! or misrepresentation on the part of Roxas
#E$%: *here are instances -hen -e &ranted re%ersion 'or reasons other than 'raud> e%ersion is an action -here the ultiate relie' sou&ht is to re%ert the land bac? to the &o%ernent under the e&alian doctrine. 2n @state o' the Late esus . Au/uico %. eublic (Au/uico case), re%ersion -as de7ned as an action -hich see?s to restore ublic land 'raudulently a-arded and disosed o' to ri%ate indi%iduals or cororations to the ass o' ublic doain. 2t bears to oint out, thou&h, that the ourt also allo-ed the resort by the Bo%ernent to actions 'or re%ersion to cancel titles that -ere %oid 'or reasons other than 'raud, i.e., %iolation by the &rantee o' a atent o' the conditions iosed by la-; and lac? o' /urisdiction o' the 0irector o' Lands to &rant a atent co%erin& inalienable 'orest land or ortion o' a ri%er, e%en -hen such &rant -as ade throu&h ere o%ersi&ht. arently, arently, in the case at bar, a ista?e or o%ersi&ht -as coitted on the art o' resondent o3as, as -ell as the Bo%ernent, resultin& in the &rant o' a hoestead atent o%er inalienable inalienable 'orest land. 8ence, it can be said that the sub/ect roerty -as unla-'ully co%ered by the 8oestead Patent and O* in resondent o3as< nae, -hich entitles etitioner eublic to the cancellation o' said atent and certi7cate o' title and the re%ersion o' the sub/ect roerty to the ublic doain. s -e ha%e ruled herein, the sub/ect roerty is art o' the Match-ood Forest eser%e and is inalienable and not sub/ect to disosition. +ein& contrary to the Public Land La-, 8oestead Patent !o. and O* issued in resondent o3ass nae are %oid; and the ri&ht o' etitioner eublic to see? cancellation o' such %oid atent:title and re%ersion o' the sub/ect roerty roerty to the tate is irescritible. irescritible. 2t is e%ident 'ro the 'ore&oin& /urisrudence /urisrudence that desite the lase o' one year 'ro the entry o' a decree o' re&istration:certi7cate o' title, the tate, throu&h the olicitor Beneral, ay still institute an action 'or re%ersion -hen said decree:certi7cate -as ac=uired by 'raud or isreresentation. 2nde'easibility 2nde'easibility o' a title does not attach to titles secured by 'raud and isreresentation. CellDsettled is the doctrine that the re&istration o' a atent under the *orrens syste does not by itsel' %est title; it erely con7rs the re&istrants already e3istin& one. Eerily, re&istration under the *orrens syste is not a ode o' ac=uirin& o-nershi. +ut then a&ain, the ourt had se%eral ties in the ast reco&nized the ri&ht o' the tate to a%ail itsel' o' the reedy o' re%ersion in other instances -hen the title to the land is %oid 'or reasons other than ha%in& been secured by 'raud or isreresentation.
