Bishop of Nueva Segovia Vs Provincial Board

Republic of the Philippines a vegetable garden belongs to a house and, in the case of a
SUPREME COURT convent, it use is limited to the necessities of the priest, which
Manila comes under the exemption.lawphi1.net
EN BANC In regard to the lot which formerly was the cemetery, while it
is no longer used as such, neither is it used for commercial
G.R. No. L-27588 December 31, 1927 purposes and, according to the evidence, is now being used as
a lodging house by the people who participate in religious
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF NUEVA festivities, which constitutes an incidental use in religious
SEGOVIA, as representative of the Roman Catholic functions, which also comes within the exemption.
Apostolic Church, plaintiff-appellant,
vs. The judgment appealed from is reversed in all it parts and it is
THE PROVINCIAL BOARD OF ILOCOS NORTE, ET held that both lots are exempt from land tax and the
AL., defendants-appellants. defendants are ordered to refund to plaintiff whatever was paid
as such tax, without any special pronouncement as to costs. So
Vicente Llanes and Proceso Coloma for plaintiff-appellant. ordered.
Provincial Fiscal Santos for defendant-appellants.
Johnson, Street, Villamor, Ostrand, Johns and Villa-Real, JJ.,
concur.
AVANCEA, J.:
The plaintiff, the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church,

represented by the Bishop of Nueva Segovia, possesses and is
the owner of a parcel of land in the municipality of San
Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, all four sides of which face on public
streets. On the south side is a part of the churchyard, the Separate Opinions
convent and an adjacent lot used for a vegetable garden,
containing an area off 1,624 square meters, in which there is a
stable and a well for the use of the convent. In the center is the
remainder of the churchyard and the church. On the north is an MALCOLM, J., dissenting:
old cemetery with two of its walls still standing, and a portion
where formerly stood a tower, the base of which still be seen, The Assessment Law exempts from taxation "Cemeteries or
containing a total area of 8,955 square meters. burial grounds . . . and all lands, buildings, and improvements
use exclusively for religious . . . purposes, but this exemption
As required by the defendants, on July 3, 1925 the plaintiff shall not extend to property held for investment, or which
paid, under protest, the land tax on the lot adjoining the produces income, even though the income be devoted to some
convent and the lot which formerly was the cemetery with the one or more of the purposes above specified." (Administrative
portion where the tower stood. Code, sec. 344; Act No. 2749, sec. 1.) That is the applicable
law. The facts may be taken as found by the judge of First
The plaintiff filed this action for the recovery of the sum paid Instance, who made his findings more certain by an ocular
by to the defendants by way of land tax, alleging that the inspection of the property under consideration. The testimony
collection of this tax is illegal. The lower court absolved the and the inspection disclosed that the lot Known as "huerta"
defendants from the complaint in regard to the lot adjoining was not devoted to religious purposes, and that the old
convent and declared that the tax collected on the lot, which cemetery had long since leased to be used as such and had
formerly was the cemetery and on the portion where the lower been planted to corn. Those are the facts. The test to be
stood, was illegal. Both parties appealed from this judgment. applied to the combined law and facts must be the actual use
of the property. The property legally exempt from the payment
The exemption in favor of the convent in the payment of the of taxes must be devoted to some purpose specified in the law.
land tax (sec. 344 [c] Administrative Code) refers to the home A "huerta" not needed or used exclusively for religious
of the parties who presides over the church and who has to purposes is not thus exempt. A cemetery or burial ground no
take care of himself in order to discharge his duties. In longer a cemetery or a burial ground is not thus exempt.
therefore must, in the sense, include not only the land actually Accordingly, I prefer to vote for the affirmance of Judge
occupied by the church, but also the adjacent ground destined Mariano's decision.
to the ordinary incidental uses of man. Except in large cities
where the density of the population and the development of
commerce require the use of larger tracts of land for buildings,

Bishop of Nueva Segovia Vs Provincial Board

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Bishop of Nueva Segovia Vs Provincial Board

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Bishop of Nueva Segovia Vs Provincial Board

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Republic of the Philippines a vegetable garden belongs to a house and, in the case of a

The plaintiff, the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church,

You might also like