Calo Vs Ajax International Inc

EN BANC
[G.R. No. L-22485. March 13, 1968.]
CONSUELO V. CALO, doing business under the trade name CVC

Lumber Industries, assisted by MARCOS M. CALO , plaintiffs-
appellants, vs. AJAX INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED , defendant-
appellee.
Tranquilino O. Calo, Jr. for plaintiffs-appellants.

Sergio P. Villareal for defendant-appellee.
SYLLABUS
1. ACTIONS; DISMISSAL; CLAIM NOT A COMPULSORY COUNTERCLAIM IN ANOTHER

CASE; EFFECT. Where plaintiff's claim in civil case No. 860 of the Court of First Instance
of Agusan consisting of P12,000.00 attorney's fees is not a compulsory counterclaim in
Civil Case No. VI-93062 of the municipal court of Manila, its dismissal by the lower court
upon the supposed ground that it was compulsory counterclaim in the latter case, is
reversed and the case remanded to the lower court for further proceedings.
2. ID.; COMPULSORY COUNTERCLAIM; WHEN BARRED BEFORE MUNICIPAL COURT.
The rule that a compulsory counterclaim not set up is barred, when applied to the
municipal court, presupposes that the amount involved is within the said court's
jurisdiction. Otherwise it would be absurd if the counterclaim filed is beyond its jurisdiction
for it would be prohibited to take cognizance thereof.
DECISION
BENGZON, J.P. , J : p
Sometime on May 7, 1959, plaintiff-appellant Calo ordered from defendant-appellee Ajax

International, Inc., 1,200 ft. of John Shaw wire rope at P2.85 per foot. The transaction was
evidenced by Charge Order No. 37071, for P3,420.00.
According to plaintiff Calo, when the wire rope was delivered to Butuan City, the same was
found short of 300 ft. Plaintiff then wrote two letters to defendant asking for either
completion of delivery or account adjustment of the alleged undelivered 300 ft. of wire
rope.
On November 20, 1961, a complaint docketed as Civil Case No. IV- 93062 was filed in the
Municipal Court of Manila by one Adolfo Benavides who claimed to have acquired the
outstanding credit account of Calo from defendant Ajax International, Inc. Charge Order
No. 37071 was among those included in the assigned account. Subsequently, a judgment
by default was entered, and a writ of execution issued, against plaintiff Calo. The latter
resorted to this Court on a petition for certiorari, prohibition and mandamus. 1 We set
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aside the judgment of default and writ of execution issued against plaintiff Calo and
remanded the case for further proceedings.
On January 23, 1962, plaintiff Calo, assisted by her husband, Marcos Calo, filed in the Court
of First Instance of Agusan a complaint against defendant asking (1) that the latter either
effect complete delivery of Charge Order No. 37071 or that she be relieved from paying
P855.00 and (2) that the latter indemnify her for P12,000 as attorney's fees, damages and
expenses of litigation. 2 The case was docketed as Civil Case No. 860.
Instead of filing an answer, defendant moved for the dismissal of Civil Case 860 on the
ground, inter alia, that the subject thereof was involved and intimately related to that in Civil
Case No. IV-93062 of the Municipal Court of Manila. The Court a quo sustained the motion
and dismissed the case.
Plaintiff-appellant moved for reconsideration and new trial. When this failed, she instituted
the present appeal.
The dismissal of Civil Case No. 860 by the court a quo because of the pendency of Civil
Case No. IV-93062 in the municipal court of Manila is predicated on the supposition that
plaintiff's claim is a compulsory counter-claim that should be filed in the latter case. There
is no question that it arises out of the same transaction which is the basis of the complaint
in Civil Case No. IV-93062 and does not require the presence of third parties over whom
the municipal court of Manila could not acquire jurisdiction.
However, plaintiff's claim is not a compulsory counterclaim in Civil Case No. IV-93062 for
the simple reason that the amount thereof exceeds the jurisdiction of the municipal court.
The rule that a compulsory counterclaim not set up is barred, when applied to the
municipal court, presupposes that the amount involved is within the said court's
jurisdiction. Otherwise, as this Court had already noted in Yu Lay vs. Galmes, 3 we would
come to the absurd situation where a claim must be filed with the municipal court which it
is prohibited from taking cognizance of, being beyond its jurisdiction.
Besides, the reason underlying the rule, which is to settle all related controversies in one
sitting only, does not obtain. For, even if the counterclaim in excess of the amount
cognizable by the inferior court is set up, the defendant cannot obtain positive relief. The
Rules allow this only for the defendant to prevent plaintiff from recovering from him. 4 This
means that should the court find both plaintiff's complaint and defendant's counterclaim
(for an amount exceeding said court's jurisdiction) meritorious, it will simply dismiss the
complaint on the ground that defendant has a bigger credit. Since defendant still has to
institute a separate action for the remaining balance of his counterclaim, the previous
litigation did not really settle all related controversies.
Plaintiff Calo's claim of P12,000.00 not being a compulsory counterclaim in Civil Case No.
VI-93062, it need not be filed there. The pendency then of said civil case could not be
pleaded in abatement of Civil Case No. 860. Consequently, the lower court erred in
dismissing plaintiff's complaint.
WHEREFORE, the order of dismissal appealed from is hereby reversed and the case
remanded for further proceedings. Costs against appellee Ajax International, Inc. So
Ordered.
Reyes, J.B.L., Actg. C.J., Dizon, Makalintal, Zaldivar, Sanchez, Castro, Angeles and Fernando,
JJ., concur.

Concepcion, C.J., is on leave.
Footnotes
1. Calo vs. Aragon, L-19356, Nov. 30, 1962.
2. Record on Appeal, p. 4.
3. 40 Phil. 651, at 662. See also Rule 5, Sec. 19, in connection with Rule 6, Section 8, of the
Rules of Court.
4. Rule 5, Section 5, Rules of Court.

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EN BANC

[G.R. No. L-22485. March 13, 1968.]

CONSUELO V. CALO, doing business under the trade name CVC

Tranquilino O. Calo, Jr. for plaintiffs-appellants.

1. ACTIONS; DISMISSAL; CLAIM NOT A COMPULSORY COUNTERCLAIM IN ANOTHER

Sometime on May 7, 1959, plaintiff-appellant Calo ordered from defendant-appellee Ajax

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1. Calo vs. Aragon, L-19356, Nov. 30, 1962.

4. Rule 5, Section 5, Rules of Court.

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