THIRD DIVISION

[G.R. No. 131784. September 16, 1999.]

GONZALES petitioner, vs . THE HEIRS OF THOMAS and

FELIX L. GONZALES,
TALENS respondents.
PAULA CRUZ, herein represented by ELENA C. TALENS,

Felix L. Gonzales for and in his behalf.

Felix B. Lerio for private respondents.

SYNOPSIS

On December 1, 1983, Paula Ano Cruz, together with the respondents, entered into a
contract of lease/purchase with the petitioner, of a half-portion of a parcel of land
containing an area of 12 hectares, more or less, and an accretion of 2 hectares more or
less, situated in Rodriguez town, Province of Rizal, and covered by Transfer Certificate of
Title 12111. Petitioner paid the P2,500.00 per hectare or P15,000.00 annual rental on the
half portion of the property covered by said title in accordance with the second provision
of the contract of lease purchase and thereafter took possession of the property installing
Jesus Sambrano as his caretaker. Petitioner did not, however, exercise his option to
purchase the property immediately after the expiration of the one-year lease on November
30, 1984, but remained in possession of the property without paying the purchase price
provided in the contract and without paying any further rentals thereon. Due to this non-
payment, demand letters were sent to petitioner demanding him to vacate the premises,
but the petitioner refused to vacate and continued possession thereof. Alleging breach of
the provisions of the contract of Lease/Purchase, the respondents filed a complaint for
recovery of possession of the property with damages. After the termination of the pre-trial
conference, the trial court proceeded to hear the case on the merits and thereafter,
rendered a decision declaring that the respondents cannot terminate the contract of lease
due to their failure to notify the petitioner in due time of their intention to that effect. Nor
can they rescind the contract of purchase considering that there was a condition
precedent which the respondents failed to fulfill. The Court of Appeals reversed the
decision of the trial court and ruled that the transfer of title in the appellee's name cannot
be interpreted as a condition precedent to the payment of the agreed purchase price
because such interpretation not only run counter to the explicit provisions of the contract
but also was contrary to the normal course of things anent the sale of real property. Hence,
the petition.
The Court found the petition meritorious. The Court ruled that the respondents cannot
rescind the contract because they have not caused the transfer of the TCT to their names,
which is a condition precedent to petitioner's obligations. Particularly, the ninth provision
was intended to ensure that respondents would have a valid title over the specific portion
they were selling to petitioner. Only after the title is assured may the obligation to buy the
land and to pay the sums stated in the contract be enforced within the period stipulated.
Verily, the petitioner's obligation to purchase has not yet ripened and cannot be enforced
until and unless respondents can prove their title to the property subject of the contract.
Accordingly, the petition was granted and the appealed decision was reversed and set
aside.
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 SYLLABUS

1. CIVIL LAW; SALES; ONE CAN SELL ONLY WHAT ONE OWNS OR IS AUTHORIZED TO
SELL, AND THE BUYER CAN ACQUIRE NO MORE THAN WHAT THE SELLER CAN
TRANSFER LEGALLY; CASE AT BAR. — It is a well-settled principle in law that no one can
give what one does not have — nemo dat quod non habet. Accordingly, one can sell only
what one owns or is authorized to sell, and the buyer can acquire no more than what the
seller can transfer legally. Because the property remained registered in the names of their
predecessors-in-interest, private respondents could validly sell only their undivided interest
in the estate of Severo Cruz, the extent of which was however not shown in the records.
There being no partition of the estate thus far, there was no guarantee as to how much and
which portion would be adjudicated to respondents.
2. ID.; ID.; IN A CONTRACT OF SALE, TITLE TO THE PROPERTY PASSES TO THE
VENDEE UPON DELIVERY OF THING SOLD; CASE AT BAR. — In a contract of sale, the title
to the property passes to the vendee upon the delivery of the thing sold. In this case, the
respondent could not deliver ownership or title to a specific portion of the yet undivided
property. True, they could have intended to sell their hereditary interest, but in the context
of the Contract of Lease/Purchase, the parties under paragraph nine wanted the specific
portion of the land to be segregated, identified and specifically titled. Hence, by the said
Contract, the respondents as sellers were given a maximum of four years within which to
acquire a separate TCT in their names, preparatory to the execution of the deed of sale and
the payment of the agreed price in the manner described in paragraph nine. DHESca

3. ID.; OBLIGATIONS AND CONTRACTS; CONDITION DEFINED; WHEN THE CONSENT

OF A PARTY TO A CONTRACT IS GIVEN SUBJECT TO THE FULFILLMENT OF A
SUSPENSIVE CONDITION, THE CONTRACT IS NOT PERFECTED UNLESS THAT CONDITION
IS FIRST COMPLIED WITH; CASE AT BAR. — Condition has been defined as "every future
and uncertain event upon which an obligation or provision is made to depend. It is a future
and uncertain event upon which the acquisition or resolution of rights is made to depend
by those who execute the juridical act." Without it, the sale of the property under the
Contract cannot be perfected, and petitioner cannot be obliged to purchase the property.
"When the consent of a party to a contract is given subject to the fulfillment of a
suspensive condition, the contract is not perfected unless that condition is first complied
with."
4. ID.; ID.; WHEN THE OBLIGATION ASSUMED BY A PARTY IS EXPRESSLY SUBJECTED
TO A CONDITION, THE OBLIGATION CANNOT BE ENFORCED AGAINST HIM UNLESS THE
CONDITION IS COMPLIED WITH; CASE AT BAR. — The Court has held that "[w]hen the
obligation assumed by a party to a contract is expressly subjected to a condition, the
obligation cannot be enforced against him unless the condition is complied with."
Furthermore, "[t]he obligatory force of a conditional obligation is subordinated to the
happening of a future and uncertain event, so that if that event does not take place, the
parties would stand as if the conditional obligation had never existed." In this case, the
obligation of the petitioner to buy the land cannot be enforced unless respondents comply
with the suspensive condition that they acquire first a separate and distinct TCT in their
names. The suspensive condition not having been fulfilled, then the obligation of the
petitioner to purchase the land has not arisen.
5. ID.; ID.; THERE CAN BE NO RESCISSION OF AN OBLIGATION AS YET NON-
EXISTENT, BECAUSE THE SUSPENSIVE CONDITION HAS NOT HAPPENED; CASE AT BAR.
— Respondents cannot rescind the contract, because they have not caused the transfer of
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 the TCT to their names, which is a condition precedent to petitioner's obligation. This Court
has held that "there can be no rescission (or more properly, resolution) of an obligation as
yet non-existent, because the suspensive condition has not happened."

DECISION

PANGANIBAN J :
PANGANIBAN, p

If a stipulation in a contract admits of several meanings, it shall be understood as bearing

that import most adequate to render it effectual. An obligation cannot be enforced unless
the plaintiff has fulfilled the condition upon which it is premised. Hence, an obligation to
purchase cannot be implemented unless and until the sellers have shown their title to the
specific portion of the property being sold. cda

The Case
Before us is a Petition for Review on Certiorari assailing the August 13, 1997 Decision 1 of
the Court of Appeals 2 in CA GR-CV No. 303754, which disposed as follows:
"WHEREFORE, the decision of the trial court dated November 16, 1990 is hereby
REVERSED. The appellee FELIX GONZALES is hereby ordered to surrender
possession of the property covered by the Contract of Lease/Purchase to the
appellants, Heirs of Thomas and Paula Cruz, and to pay to the appellants the
following amounts:

1. P15,000.00 per annum as rentals counted from December 1, 1984 until the
appellants shall have recovered possession of the property subject of the
Contract of Lease/Purchase;

2. P15,000.00 as attorney's fees; and

3. Costs of suit." 3

On the other hand, the trial court 4 Decision, 5 which was reversed by the CA, ruled as
follows:
"WHEREFORE, premises considered, this Court hereby renders judgment in favor
of the defendant, Felix Gonzales, and against the plaintiffs, as follows:

(1) Ordering the dismissal of the case;

(2) Sentencing the plaintiffs, jointly and severally, the sum of P20,000.00 as
moral damages and the other sum of P10,000.00 as and for attorney's
fees; and

(3) To pay the costs." 6

The Facts
We hereby reproduce, unedited, the Court of Appeals' summary of the facts of this case as
follows:
"On December 1, 1983, Paula Año Cruz together with the plaintiffs heirs of
Thomas and Paula Cruz, namely Ricardo A. Cruz, Carmelita M. Cruz, Salome A.
Cruz, Irenea C. Victoria, Leticia C. Salvador and Elena C. Talens, entered into a
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 Contract of Lease/Purchase with the defendant, Felix L. Gonzales, the sole
proprietor and manager of Felgon Farms, of a half-portion of a 'parcel of land
containing an area of 12 hectares, more or less, and an accretion of 2 hectares,
more or less, situated in Rodriguez Town, Province of Rizal' and covered by
Transfer Certificate of Title No. 12111 (Exhibit A, p. 157, Records). The contract of
Lease/Purchase contains the following provisions:

'1. The terms of this Contract is for a period of one year upon the
signing thereof. After the period of this Contract, the LESSEE shall
purchase the property on the agreeable price of One Million Pesos
(P1,000,000.00) payable within Two (2) Years period with an
interest of 12% per annum subject to the devalued amount of the
Philippine Peso, according to the following schedule of payment:

Upon the execution of the Deed of Sale 50% — and thereafter 25% every six (6) months thereafter,
payable within the first ten (10) days of the beginning of each period of six (6) months.

'2. The LESSEE shall pay by way of annual rental an amount

equivalent to Two Thousand Five Hundred (P2,500.00) Pesos per
hectare, upon the signing of this contract on Dec. 1, 1983.

xxx xxx xxx

'9. The LESSORS hereby commit themselves and shall undertake to

obtain a separate and distinct T.C.T. over the herein leased portion
to the LESSEE within a reasonable period of time which shall not in
any case exceed four (4) years, after which a new Contract shall be
executed by the herein parties which shall be the same in all
respects with this Contract of Lease/Purchase insofar as the terms
and conditions are concerned.

xxx xxx xxx

(Exhibits A, A-1; pp. 157-158. Records)'

"The defendant Gonzales paid the P2,500.00 per hectare or P15,000.00 annual
rental on the half-portion of the property covered by Transfer Certificate of Title
No. 12111 in accordance with the second provision of the Contract of
Lease/Purchase (p. 12, TSN, September 14, 1989) and thereafter took possession
of the property, installing thereon the defendant Jesus Sambrano as his caretaker
(pp. 16-17, 27, TSN, December 12, 1989). The defendant Gonzales did not,
however, exercise his option to purchase the property immediately after the
expiration of the one-year lease on November 30, 1984 (pp. 19-20, TSN,
September 14, 1989). He remained in possession of the property without paying
the purchase price provided for in the Contract of Lease/Purchase (Ibid.) and
without paying any further rentals thereon (p. 36, TSN, November 7, 1989). LLjur

"A letter was sent by one of the plaintiffs-heirs Ricardo Cruz to the defendant
Gonzales informing him of the lessors' decision to rescind the Contract of
Lease/Purchase due to a breach thereof committed by the defendant (Exhibit C; p.
162, Records). The letter also served as a demand on the defendant to vacate the
premises within 10 days from receipt of said letter (Ibid.).

"The defendant Gonzales refused to vacate the property and continued

possession thereof (p. 2, Record). The matter was therefore brought before the
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 barangay captain of San Isidro, but owing to the defendant's refusal to appear
before the barangay, a certification allowing the case to be brought to Court was
issued on March 18, 1987 (Exhibit E; p. 165, Records).

"The lessor, Paula Año Cruz died the following day, March 19, 1987 (p. 9, TSN,
September 14, 1989).

"A final demand letter to vacate the premises was sent by the remaining lessors
who are also the heirs of the deceased lessor Paula Año Cruz, through their
counsel on August 24, 1987 which the defendant Gonzales received but did not
heed (Exhibits D and D-1; pp. 163-164, Records).

"The property subject of the Contract of Lease/Purchase is currently the subject

of an Extra-Judicial Partition (Exhibits G and G-1; pp. 168-169, Records). Title to
the property remains in the name of the plaintiffs' predecessors-in-interest,
Bernardina Calixto and Severo Cruz (Exhibit B; p. 160, Records).

"Alleging breach of the provisions of the Contract of Lease/Purchase, the

plaintiffs filed a complaint for recovery of possession of the property — subject of
the contract with damages, both moral and compensatory and attorney's fees
and litigation expenses (p. 3, Records).

"Alleging breach of paragraph nine of the Contract of Lease/Purchase, and

payment of only P50,000.00 of the P500,000.00 agreed down payment on the
purchase price of P1,000,000.00, the defendant Gonzales filed his answer on
November 23, 1987 praying for a dismissal of the complaint filed against him
and an award of moral, exemplary and actual damages, as well as litigation
expenses (pp. 19-22, Records).

"The defendant Sambrano was, upon motion, declared in default for failure to file
an answer despite valid service of summons (p. 30, Records).
"The parties limited the issues to be resolved to:

(1) Whether or not paragraph 9 of the contract is a condition precedent

before the defendant is to pay the down payment;

(2) Whether or not plaintiffs can rescind the Contract of

Lease/Purchase; and

(3) Whether or not plaintiffs can terminate the Contract of Lease. (p. 4,
Decision; p. 262, Records)

"After the termination of the pre-trial conference, the trial court proceeded to hear
the case on the merits and arrived at its appealed decision based on the following
findings and conclusions:

'Paragraph 9 of the contract clearly indicates that the lessors-plaintiffs

shall obtain a Transfer Certificate of Title in the name of the lessee within
4 years before a new contract is to be entered into under the same terms
and conditions as the original Contract of Lease/Purchase. Thus, before a
deed of Sale can be entered into between the plaintiffs and the defendant,
the plaintiffs have to obtain the Transfer Certificate of Title in favor of the
defendant. Article 1181 of the New Civil Code states that: 'In conditional
obligations, the acquisition of rights, as well as the extinguishment or loss
of those already acquired, shall depend upon the happening of the event
which constitutes the condition.' When the obligation assumed by a party
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 to a contract is expressly subjected to a condition, the obligation cannot be
enforced against him unless the condition is complied with (Wise & Co. vs.
Kelly, 37 Phil. 695; PNB vs. Philippine Trust Co., 68 Phil. 48). LLjur

'The failure of the plaintiffs to secure the Transfer Certificate of Title, as

provided for in the contract, does not entitle them to rescind the contract[.]
Article 1191 of the New Civil Code states that: 'The power to rescind
obligations is implied in reciprocal ones, in case one of the obligors should
not comply with what is incumbent upon him. The injured party may
choose between the fulfillment of the obligation, with the payment of
damages in either case. He may seek rescission, even after he has chosen
fulfillment, if the latter should become impossible . . . .' The power to
rescind is given to the injured party. Where the plaintiff is the party who did
not perform, he is not entitled to insist upon the performance of the
contract by the defendant or recover damages by reason of his own breach
(Mateos vs. Lopez, 6 Phil. 206; Borque vs. Yu Chipco, 14 Phil. 95). An
action for specific performance of a contract is an equitable proceeding,
and he who seeks to enforce it must himself be fair and reasonable, and
do equity (Seva vs. Berwin, 48 Phil. 581). In this case, plaintiffs failed to
comply with the conditions precedent after 2-1/2 years from the execution
of the contract so as to entitle them to rescind the contract. Although the
contract stated that the same be done within 4 years from execution, still,
the defendant has to be assured that the land subject of the case will be
transferred in his name without any encumbrances, as the Extra-Judicial
Partition dated July 17, 1989 was being processed, and continues to be in
process to this date. The failure to secure the Transfer Certificate of Title in
favor of the defendant entitles not the plaintiffs but, rather, the defendant
to either rescind or to ask for specific performances.

'Are the plaintiffs entitled to terminate the Contract of Lease? Article 1670
of the New Civil Code states that:

If at the end of the contract the lessee should continue enjoying the
thing leased for fifteen days with the acquies[c]ence of the lessor
and unless a notice to the contrary by either party has previously
been given, it is understood that there is an implied new lease, not
for the period of the original contract, but for the time established in
Articles 1682 and 1687. The other terms of the original contract
shall be revived.

'Article 1682 of the New Civil Code states that:

The lease of a piece of rural land, when its duration has not been
fixed, is understood to have been made for all the time necessary
for the gathering of the fruits which the whole estate leased may
yield in one year, or which it may yield once, although two or more
years may have to elapse for the purpose.

'The plaintiffs filed the complaint on October 12, 1987 after making an
extra-judicial demand on July 2, 1986. The contract was entered into on
December 1, 1983. The demand was thus made more than a year and a
half from the expiry date of the original lease considering that there was no
payment made for the second year of the lease. If one has to consider the
fact that the defendant was given the option to purchase the property after
two years, then, the lease would presumably run for at least two years. If
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 that is so, then, the demand was made seven months after the expiration
of the two-year lease. Still, this demand by the plaintiffs will come under
the implied new lease of Articles 1682 and 1670 so that the plaintiffs are
not entitled to terminate the Contract of Lease.

'In sum, the plaintiffs cannot terminate the Contract of Lease due to their
failure to notify the defendant in due time of their intention to that effect.
Nor can they rescind the Contract of Purchase in view of the fact that there
is a condition precedent which the plaintiffs have not fulfilled. It is the
defendant now who has the option to either rescind or demand the
performance of the contract. Moreover, according to Article 1654 of the
New Civil Code, the lessor is obliged to deliver the thing which is the object
of the contract in such condition as to render it fit for the use intended.
Considering that the lessors-plaintiffs have not delivered the property in
whole over the protest of the defendant, the latter suffered damages
therefor.' (p. 4-6, Decision; pp. 262-264, Records)

"Their complaint thus dismissed, the plaintiffs, now appellants, assign the trial
court of having committed the following errors:

THE TRIAL COURT GRAVELY ERRED IN HOLDING THAT PLAINTIFFS-

APPELLANTS COULD NOT VALIDLY RESCIND AND TERMINATE THE
LEASE/PURCHASE CONTRACT (EXHIBIT 'A') AND THEREAFTER TO TAKE
POSSESSION OF THE LAND IN QUESTION AND EJECT THEREFROM
DEFENDANTS-APPELLEES.

II

THE TRIAL COURT EQUALLY ERRED IN NOT GRANTING THE RELIEFS

PLEADED AND PRAYED FOR BY PLAINTIFFS-APPELLANTS IN THEIR
COMPLAINT. (p. 42, Rollo)

"The case was submitted for decision without the appellee's brief as per the
Court's resolution dated July 8, 1992 (p. 71, Rollo)." cdrep

Ruling of the Court of Appeals

The Court of Appeals reversed the trial court in this wise:
"The trial court, in its decision interpreted the ninth provision of the Contract of
Lease/Purchase to mean that before the appellee exercises his option to
purchase the property by paying the 50% plus interest on the P1,000,000.00
purchase price, the appellants must first transfer the title to the property in the
appellee's name. The Court finds this interpretation of the provision strained if not
altogether absurd. The transfer of title to the property in the appellee's name
cannot be interpreted as a condition precedent to the payment of the agreed
purchase price because such interpretation not only runs counter [to] the explicit
provisions of the contract but also is contrary to the normal course of things
anent the sale of real properties. The terms of the contract [are] explicit and
require no interpretation. Upon the expiration of the lease, the lessee shall
purchase the property. Besides, the normal course of things anent the sale of real
properties dictates that there must first be payment of the agreed purchase price
before transfer of title to the vendee's name can be made.
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 "This was precisely what the appellants and Paula Año Cruz had in mind when
they had the ninth provision incorporated in the Contract of Lease/Purchase.
They had asked for a period of 4 years from the time they receive the
downpayment of 50% within which to have [the] title to the property transferred in
the name of the appellee. The reason for this four (4) year period is [that] title to
the property still remains in the name of the original owners, the predecessors-in-
interest of the herein appellants and [transferring] the title to their names and
eventually to the lessee-purchaser, appellee herein, would take quite some time.

"The appellee wanted to have the title to the property transferred in his name first
before he exercises his option to purchase allegedly in accordance with the ninth
provision of the contract. But the ninth provision does not give him this right. A
reading of the contract in its entirety shows that the 4 year period asked for by the
appellants within which to have title to the property transferred in the appellee's
name will only start to run when the appellee exercises his option to purchase.
Since the appellee never exercised his option to purchase, then appellee is not
entitled to have the title to the property transferred in his name."

Attributing reversible errors to the appellate court, petitioner elevated the case to this
Court. 7
The Issues
In his Memorandum, 8 petitioner submits the "following main issues":
"I. Whether or not the Court of Appeals has gravely erred and committed grave
abuse of discretion in the interpretation of [the] law between the parties.

"II. Whether or not the Court of Appeals committed serious mistakes in the
finding of facts which resulted [in] departing from the usual course of judicial
proceedings."

For these issues to be resolved, petitioner asks this Court to answer the following
questions:
"1. Is there a conflict between the statement in paragraph 1 of the
Lease/Purchase Contract and that [in] paragraph No. 9 thereof?

"2. Is paragraph 9 of the Lease/Purchase Contract a condition precedent

before petitioner could exercise his option to buy the property?
"3. Can plaintiff rescind or terminate the Contract of Lease after the one-year
period?"

In fine, the resolution of this case depends upon the proper interpretation of paragraph
nine of the Contract.
The Court's Ruling
The Petition is meritorious.
Main Issue:
Interpretation of Paragraph Nine
In its first paragraph, the disputed agreement provides that petitioner shall lease the
property for one year, after which he "shall purchase" it. Paragraph nine, on the other hand,
requires herein respondents to obtain a separate and distinct Transfer Certificate of Title
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 (TCT) over the property, viz.:
"9. The LESSORS hereby commit themselves and shall undertake to obtain a
separate and distinct T.C.T. over the lease portion to the LESSEE within a
reasonable period of time which shall not in any case exceed four (4) years, after
which a new Contract shall be executed by the herein parties which shall be the
same in all respects with this Contract of Lease/Purchase insofar as the terms
and conditions are concerned."

Alleging that petitioner has not purchased the property after the lapse of one year,
respondents seek to rescind the Contract and to recover the property. Petitioner, on the
other hand, argues that he could not be compelled to purchase the property, because
respondents have not complied with paragraph nine, which obligates them to obtain a
separate and distinct title in their names. He contends that paragraph nine was a condition
precedent to the purchase of the property. cdll

To be sure, this paragraph — and the entire agreement, for that matter — is not a model of
how a contract should be worded. It is an invitation to a litigation, as in fact the parties had
to go all to way up to this Court to plead for a resolution of their conflict which is rooted in
their failure to express themselves clearly. Small wonder, even the two lower courts gave
contradictory understanding of this provision, thereby necessitating the intervention of the
highest court of the land.
Both the trial court and the Court of Appeals (CA) interpreted this provision to mean that
the respondents had obliged themselves to obtain a TCT in the name of petitioner-lessee.
The trial court held that this obligation was a condition precedent to petitioner's purchase
of the property. Since respondents had not performed their obligation, they could not
compel petitioner to buy the parcel of land. The CA took the opposite view, holding that the
property should be purchased first before respondents may be obliged to obtain a TCT in
the name of petitioner-lessee-buyer.
As earlier noted, petitioner disagrees with the interpretation of the two courts and
maintains that respondents were obligated to procure a TCT in their names before he
could be obliged to purchase the property in question.
Basic is the rule in the interpretation of contracts that if some stipulation therein should
admit of several meanings, it shall be understood as bearing that import most adequate to
render it effectual. 9 Considering the antecedents of the ownership of the disputed lot, it
appears that petitioner's interpretation renders clause nine most effectual.
The record shows that at the time the contract was executed, the land in question was still
registered in the name of Bernardina Calixto and Severo Cruz, respondents' predecessors-
in-interest. There is no showing whether respondents were the only heirs of Severo Cruz or
whether the other half of the land in the name of Bernardina Calixto was adjudicated to
them by any means. In fact, they admit that extrajudicial proceedings were still ongoing.
Hence, when the Contract of Lease/Purchase was executed, there was no assurance that
the respondents were indeed the owners of the specific portion of the lot that petitioner
wanted to buy, and if so, in what concept and to what extent.
Thus, the clear intent of the ninth paragraph was for respondents to obtain a separate and
distinct TCT in their names. This was necessary to enable them to show their ownership of
the stipulated portion of the land and their concomitant right to dispose of it. Absent any
title in their names, they could not have sold the disputed parcel of land.

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 It is a well-settled principle in law that no one can give what one does not have — nemo dat
quod non habet. Accordingly, one can sell only what one owns or is authorized to sell, and
the buyer can acquire no more than what the seller can transfer legally. 1 0
Because the property remained registered in the names of their predecessors-in-interest,
private respondents could validly sell only their undivided interest in the estate of Severo
Cruz, the extent of which was however not shown in the records. There being no partition
of the estate thus far, there was no guarantee as to how much and which portion would be
adjudicated to respondents.
In a contract of sale, the title to the property passes to the vendee upon the delivery of the
thing sold. 1 1 In this case, the respondent could not deliver ownership or title to a specific
portion of the yet undivided property. True, they could have intended to sell their hereditary
interest, but in the context of the Contract of Lease/Purchase, the parties under paragraph
nine wanted the specific portion of the land to be segregated, identified and specifically
titled. Hence, by the said Contract, the respondents as sellers were given a maximum of
four years within which to acquire a separate TCT in their names, preparatory to the
execution of the deed of sale and the payment of the agreed price in the manner described
in paragraph nine. prLL

This interpretation is bolstered by the P50,000 petitioner advanced to respondents in

order to help them expedite the transfer of the TCT to their names. Ineluctably, the
intention of the parties was to have the title transferred first to respondents' names as a
condition for the completion of the purchase.
In holding that clause nine was not a condition precedent to the purchase of the property,
the CA relied on a literal interpretation to the effect that the TCT should be obtained in the
name of the petitioner-vendee. It reasoned that the title could be transferred to the name
of the buyer only after the completion of the purchase. Thus, petitioner should first
purchase the property before respondents could be obliged to transfer the TCT to his
name.

We disagree. The literal interpretation not only ignores the factual backdrop of the case; it
also utilizes a faulty parsing of paragraph nine, which should purportedly read as follows:
"The lessors . . . shall undertake to obtain a separate and distinct TCT . . . to the LESSEE
within a reasonable period of time which shall not in any case exceed four (4) years . . . ."
Read in its entirety, however, paragraph nine does not say that the TCT should be obtained
in the name of the lessee. In fact, paragraph nine requires respondents to obtain a "TCT
over the herein leased portion to the LESSEE," thereby showing that the crucial phrase "to
the LESSEE" adverts to "the leased portion" and not to the name which should appear in the
new TCT.
Furthermore, the CA interpretation ignores the other part of paragraph nine, stating that
after a separate TCT had been obtained, "a new contract shall be executed by the herein
parties which shall be the same in all respects with this Contract of Lease/Purchase
insofar as the terms and conditions are concerned."
If, as the CA held, petitioner should purchase the property first before the title can be
transferred to his name, why should there be a waiting period of four years before the
parties can execute the new contract evidencing the sale? Why should the petitioner still be
required to pay rentals after it purchases and pays for the property? The Contract could
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 not have envisioned this absurd scenario.
Clearly, the appellate court's literal interpretation of the first portion of paragraph nine
renders the latter portion thereof ineffectual. In other words, that portion can only mean
that the respondents should first obtain a TCT in their names, after which petitioner is
given time to purchase and pay for the property.
Respondents insist that "the obligation of petitioner to buy the disputed land immediately
after the termination of the one year lease period is explicit." 1 2 However, it is more
reasonable to state that the first paragraph was effectively modified by the ninth. To
repeat, petitioner can be compelled to perform his obligation under the first paragraph,
only after respondents have complied with the ninth. Unless and until respondents have
done so, the first paragraph cannot be enforced against petitioner.
In sum, we hold that the ninth provision was intended to ensure that respondents would
have a valid title over the specific portion they were selling to petitioner. Only after the title
is assured may the obligation to buy the land and to pay the sums stated in the Contract
be enforced within the period stipulated. Verily, the petitioner's obligation to purchase has
not yet ripened and cannot be enforced until and unless respondents can prove their title
to the property subject of the Contract.
Secondary Issues:
Ninth Clause Was a Condition Precedent
Because the ninth clause required respondents to obtain a separate and distinct TCT in
their names and not in the name of petitioner, it logically follows that such undertaking was
a condition precedent to the latter's obligation to purchase and pay for the land. Put
differently, petitioner's obligation to purchase the land is a conditional one and is governed
by Article 1181 of the Civil Code. 1 3
Condition has been defined as "every future and uncertain event upon which an obligation
or provision is made to depend. It is a future and uncertain event upon which the
acquisition or resolution of rights is made to depend by those who execute the juridical
act." 1 4 Without it, the sale of the property under the Contract cannot be perfected, and
petitioner cannot be obliged to purchase the property. "When the consent of a party to a
contract is given subject to the fulfillment of a suspensive condition, the contract is not
perfected unless that condition is first complied with." 1 5
The Court has held that "[w]hen the obligation assumed by a party to a contract is
expressly subjected to a condition, the obligation cannot be enforced against him unless
the condition is complied with." 16 Furthermore, "[t]he obligatory force of a conditional
obligation is subordinated to the happening of a future and uncertain event, so that if that
event does not take place, the parties would stand as if the conditional obligation had
never existed." 17
In this case, the obligation of the petitioner to buy the land cannot be enforced unless
respondents comply with the suspensive condition that they acquire first a separate and
distinct TCT in their names. The suspensive condition not having been fulfilled, then the
obligation of the petitioner to purchase the land has not arisen. LLpr

Respondents Cannot Rescind the Contract

In the same vein, respondents cannot rescind the contract, because they have not caused
the transfer of the TCT to their names, which is a condition precedent to petitioner's
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 obligation. This Court has held that "there can be no rescission (or more properly,
resolution) of an obligation as yet non-existent, because the suspensive condition has not
happened." 1 8
Since the reversal of the CA Decision is inevitable, the trial court's judgment should be
reinstated. However, we find no sufficient factual or legal justifications for the awards of
moral damages and attorney's fees.
WHEREFORE, the petition is GRANTED and the appealed Decision is REVERSED and SET
ASIDE. The Decision of the trial court is REINSTATED, but the award of moral damages and
attorney's fees is DELETED for lack of basis. No costs.
SO ORDERED.
Melo, Purisima and Gonzaga-Reyes, JJ., concur.
Vitug, J., took no part; did not participate in deliberations (in PHILJA on official business).
Footnotes

1. Penned by Justice Ramon A. Barcelona; concurred in by Justices Jesus M. Elbinias

(chairman) and Artemio G. Tuquero (member)
2. Eleventh Division.

3. CA Decision, p. 14; rollo, p. 59.

4. Regional Trial Court of San Mateo, Rizal, Branch 75.

5. Written by Judge Cipriano D. Roma.

6. RTC Decision, pp. 6-7; rollo, pp. 43-44.

7. This case was deemed submitted for decision on January 6, 1999, upon receipt by this
Court of respondents' Memorandum. Petitioner's Memorandum was filed earlier.

8. See pp. 10-11; rollo, pp. 103-104.

9. Article 1373, Civil Code.

10. Segura v. Segura, 165 SCRA 368, September 19, 1988.

11. Dawson v. Register of Deeds, GR No. 120600, September 22, 1998, per Panganiban, J.;
Salazar v. Court of Appeals, 258 SCRA 317, July 5, 1996; Luzon Brokerage Co., Inc. v.
Maritime Building Co., Inc., 46 SCRA 381, August 18, 1972; Pingol v. Court of Appeals,
226 SCRA 118, September 6, 1993.
12. Respondents' Memorandum, p. 11; rollo, p. 123.

13. The provision reads:

"ARTICLE 1181. In conditional obligations, the acquisition of rights, as well as the
extinguishment or loss of those already acquired, shall depend upon the happening of
the event which constitutes the condition."

14. Arturo Tolentino, Civil Code of the Philippines, Vol. IV, p. 144; citing Brugi, p. 108; 1
Rugigiero 289; 1 Colin & Capitant 194.
15. Ruperto v. Kosea, 26 Phil 227, December 4, 1913, per Torres, J.

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 16. Wise & Co. v. Kelly, 37 Phil 696, February 21, 1918, per Fisher J.; PNB v. Philippine Trust
Co., 68 Phil 48, May 12, 1939, per Diaz, J.; Roque v. Lapuz, 96 SCRA 741.
17. Rose Packing Company, Inc. v. Court of Appeals, 167 SCRA 309, November 14, 1988,
per Paras, J.; Gaite v. Fonacier, 2 SCRA 831.

18. Luzon Brokerage Co., Inc v. Maritime Building Co., Inc., 46 SCRA 381, August 18, 1972,
per Reyes, J.B.L., J.

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