Source: http://lawlibrary.chanrobles.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=45912:158397&amp;catid=1459&amp;Itemid=566
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 02:02:59+00:00

Document:
NEIL TAMONDONG, Petitioner, v. COURT OF APPEALS and WORLD WAR II VETERANS LEGIONNAIRES OF THE PHILIPPINES, INC., Respondents.
On December 6, 2001, a civil complaint was filed in the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Quezon City, Branch 217, for recovery of possession of real property and damages with a plea for a writ of preliminary injunction, wherein the respondent World War II Veterans Legionnaires of the Philippines, Inc. (WWVLPI) appears to be the plaintiff, and Jesse Tamondong, Neil Tamondong, and John Does appear to be the defendants.
That I am the Attorney-in-fact and Allocatee of the lot under litigation, that I have caused the preparation of this pleading for and in behalf of WORLD WAR II VETERANS LEGIONNAIRES OF THE PHILIPPINES, INC.; that I have read the contents thereof and the same are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
That I hereby certify under oath that I have not commenced any action or claim involving the same issues in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, tribunal or quasi-agency, and to the best of my knowledge and belief, there is no pending action or claim before such courts, or tribunal or quasi-agency. If there is then I will immediately inform such court of such pendency within 5 days from such knowledge.
Quezon City, December 3, 2001.
SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 4th day of December, 2001 at Quezon City, affiant exhibited his CTC No. CCI05956191, issued at Quezon City on January 16, 2001.
'[I]t appears that the alleged attorney-in-fact who filed the case in behalf of plaintiff World War II Veterans Legionnaires of the Philippines, Inc. is not clothed with the appropriate authority and is, therefore, not the proper party to file the same.
THAT THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN DISMISSING THE COMPLAINT FOR ALLEGED LACK OF CAUSE OF ACTION.
The petitioner, thereafter, filed the instant Petition for Review on Certiorari and raises the following issues: (a) whether an appeal by a writ of error is the proper remedy of the respondent from the assailed orders of the trial court; (b) whether Esteves is authorized to file the action; and (c) whether the respondent is the real party-in-interest as party-plaintiff in the trial court.
On the first issue, the petitioner avers that the remedy of the respondent from the assailed orders of the RTC was to file a Petition for Review on Certiorari under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court, it appearing that, based on the brief of the respondent as appellant in the CA, it raised only questions of law for resolution.
Sec. 2. Dismissal of improper appeal to the Court of Appeals. - An appeal under Rule 41 taken from the Regional Trial Court to the Court of Appeals raising only question of law shall be dismissed, issues purely of law not being reviewable by said court. Similarly, an appeal by notice of appeal instead of by Petition for Review from the appellate judgment of the Regional Trial Court shall be dismissed.
An appeal erroneously taken to the appropriate court but shall be dismissed.
The respondent, for its part, avers that Esteves is the real party-in-interest because he is the allocatee of the property subject of the complaint and will be affected by the outcome of the case; hence, he is the real party-in-interest.
We agree with the petitioner. Sections 1 and 2, Rule 4110 of the Rules of Court provide that an appeal may be taken from the final order of the RTC dismissing the complaint in the exercise of its original jurisdiction to the CA. The appeal shall be taken by filing a notice of appeal with the RTC and the payment of the requisite fees therefor unless record on appeal is required in other cases. However, under Section 2(c) of the said rule, where only questions of law are raised or involved, the appeal shall be taken to the Supreme Court by Petition for Review on Certiorari in accordance with Rule 45 of the Rules of Court.11 The nature of the issues to be raised can be gleaned from the appellant's notice of appeal and his brief in the CA. If it appears from the brief that the only issues raised are legal and not factual, the appellate court is mandated to dismiss the appeal in accordance with Section 2, Rule 50 of the Rules of Court.
If the appellant desires to raise only questions of law in the appellate court, he should file a Petition for Review on Certiorari in the Supreme Court within the period therefor, serving a copy thereof on the lower court concerned in accordance with Section 3, Rule 45 of the Rules of Court.
In the present case, the RTC dismissed the complaint based on the allegations of the complaint and the verification-certification embedded in the complaint on two grounds: (a) Esteves, who filed the complaint as the respondent's attorney-in-fact, was not clothed with authority to do so for and in behalf of the respondent, via resolution of the latter's board of directors; and (b) Esteves was not the proper party as plaintiff in the court a quo.
Sec. 2. Parties in interest. - A real party-in-interest is the party who stands to be benefited or injured by the judgment in the suit, or the party entitled to the avails of the suit. Unless, otherwise, authorized by law or these Rules, every action must be prosecuted or defended in the name of the real party-in-interest.
The trial court was correct when it ruled that Esteves did not have the authority from the board of directors to file the complaint for and in its behalf. Esteves admitted, in his motion for reconsideration, that when the complaint was filed, there was no resolution from the board of directors of the plaintiff therein specifically authorizing him to file the complaint for and in its behalf. He merely reserved the right to adduce the said resolution at the pre-trial or trial stage of the proceedings. However, the trial court erred in ruling that since Esteves filed the complaint for and in behalf of the plaintiff in spite of lack of authority from the board of directors of the plaintiff for him to do so, Esteves thus became the plaintiff. The bare fact that Esteves had no authority from the plaintiff to file the complaint for and in its behalf, Esteves did not thereby make himself the plaintiff. Indeed, as gleaned from the complaint, the WWVLPI is the plaintiff.
The complaint is fatally defective for another reason. The certification against forum shopping was executed by Esteves, who is not an officer of the respondent or authorized by its board of directors to execute the requisite certificate of non-forum shopping. Under Section 5, Rule 7 of the Rules of Court,16 the certification against forum shopping must be executed by the plaintiff or principal party. Since the plaintiff is a corporation, the certification must be executed by an officer or member of the board of directors or by one who is duly authorized by a resolution of the board of directors; otherwise, the complaint will have to be dismissed.17 The reason for this is that the plaintiff or the principal knows better than anyone, whether a petition has previously been filed involving the same case or substantially the same issues. Esteves alleged in the complaint that he was merely an attorney-in-fact of the respondent. Worse, it was he, although he was not an officer or a member of the board of directors of the respondent, who certified that no action or claim involving the same issues had been commenced in any other tribunal.
We reject the contention of the respondent that since he was an allocatee of the property subject of the complaint and will be affected by the outcome of the case, he is the real party-in-interest under Section 2, Rule 3 of the Rules of Court. If the contention of the respondent is correct, Esteves should have filed the complaint as party-plaintiff. He did not.
The Supreme Court in ParaÃ±aque Kings Enterprises, Inc. v. Court of Appeals, (268 SCRA 727), made an appropriate distinction between a question of law and question of facts. Thus, relatively stated that - the principal legal question, as stated earlier, is whether the complaint states a valid cause of action. Since such question assumes the facts alleged in the complaint as true, it follows that the determination thereof is one of law, and not of facts. There is a question of law in a given case when the doubt or differences arises (sic) as to what the law is on a certain state of facts, and there is a question of fact when the doubt or differences arises (sic) as to the truth or falsehood of alleged facts.
However, the CA ignored the threshold issues raised by the petitioner and his co-appellees. In resolving the petition before it, the appellate court confined itself to the issue of whether or not the complaint stated a sufficient cause of action against the defendants-appellees therein.
In view of our foregoing disquisitions, there is no longer a need to still delve into and resolve the other issues.
IN LIGHT OF ALL THE FOREGOING, the petition is GRANTED. The assailed decision of the Court of Appeals is SET ASIDE AND NULLIFIED. The assailed orders of the Regional Trial Court, dismissing the complaint and denying the respondent's motion for reconsideration, are REINSTATED. No costs.
8 CA Rollo, p. 10.
9 Annex "J," Rollo, pp. 104-109.
10 Section 1. Subject of appeal. - An appeal may be taken from a judgment or final order that completely disposes of the case, or of a particular matter therein when declared by these Rules to be appealable.
Section 1. Filing of petition with Supreme Court. - A party desiring to appeal by certiorari from a judgment or final order or resolution of the Court of Appeals, the Sandiganbayan, the Regional Trial Court or other courts whenever authorized by law, may file with the Supreme Court a verified Petition for Review on Certiorari . The petition shall raise only questions of law, which must be distinctly set forth.
12 Skippers Pacific, Inc. v. Mira, 392 SCRA 371 (2002); Western Shipyard Services, Inc. v. Court of Appeals, 358 SCRA 257 (2001); Medina v. Asistio, Jr., 191 SCRA 218 (1990).
13 Manila Bay Club Corporation v. Court of Appeals, 245 SCRA 715 (1995).
14 Hilario v. La Congregacion, 27 Phil. 593 (1913).
(g) That the pleading asserting the claim states no cause of action.
16 Sec. 5. Certification against forum shopping. - The plaintiff or principal party shall certify under oath in the complaint or other initiatory pleading asserting a claim for relief, or in a sworn certification annexed thereto and simultaneously filed therewith: (a) that he has not theretofore commenced any action or filed any claim involving the same issues in any court, tribunal or quasi-judicial agency and, to the best of his knowledge, no such other action or claim is pending therein; (b) if there is such other pending action or claim, a complete statement of the present status thereof; and (c) if he should, thereafter, learn that the same or similar action or claim has been filed or is pending, he shall report that fact within five (5) days therefrom to the court wherein his aforesaid complaint or initiatory pleading has been filed.
17 Eslaban, Jr. v. Onorio, 360 SCRA 230 (2001); Digital Microwave Corporation v. Court of Appeals, 328 SCRA 286 (2000).
18 Supra at note 11.
19 CA Rollo, p. 42.

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