In the matter of the estate of Tomas Rodriguez, deceased.

MANUEL contested, has been admitted to probate by judicial

TORRES, special administrator, and LUZ LOPEZ DE BUENO, determination (Torres and Lopez de Bueno vs. Lopez, 48
heir, appellee, Phil., 772).
vs.
MARGARITA LOPEZ, opponent-appellant. ISSUE: W/N Vicente F. Lopez and/or his daughter, Luz Lopez de Bueno, could
G.R. No. L-25966 | November 1, 1926 inherit
STREET, J.:
Vicente Lopez could not validly inherit
SUMMARY: Tomas Rodriguez states in his will that his cousin/caretaker
Vicente Lopez and his daughter, Luz Lopez de Bueno be his universal heirs to
 Our discussion of the legal problem presented should begin with article
all his property. However, Vicente Lopez passed away before the testator.
753 of the Civil Code which in effect declares that, with certain exceptions
Margarita Lopez, the nearest heir, claims that Partial Intestate Succession took
in favor of near relatives, no testamentary provision shall be valid when
place when Vicente Lopez died, and thus sought to claim her share. The trial
made by a ward in favor of his guardian before the final accounts of the
court however ruled that accretion instead took place, and Luz Lopez de
latter have been approved.
Bueno was entitled to the whole inheritance. The Supreme Court affirmed the
 This provision is of undoubted application to the situation
trial court, explaining that Art. 982 on accretion applies as the more specific
before us; and the provision made in the will of Tomas
provision versus Art. 912, which provides that legal succession takes place
Rodriguez in favor of Vicente F. Lopez was not any general
when the heir dies before the testator. In subsection 3 of article 912 the
incapacity on his part, but a special incapacity due to the
provision with respect to intestate succession is expressly subordinated to
accidental relation of guardian and ward existing between the
article 983 by the expression "and (if) there is no right of accretion."
parties.
FACTS
By Virtue of Accretion, Luz Lopez de Bueno must Receive Both her
Undivided Half and the Undivided Half of the Inheritance supposedly for
 The appellant, Margarita Lopez, claims said half by the intestate her Father
succession as next of kin and nearest heir; while the appellee, Luz Lopez
de Bueno, claims the same by accredition and in the character of universal
 We now pass to article 982 of the Civil Code, defining the right of
heir the will of the decedent. The trial court decided the point of controversy
accretion. It is there declared, in effect, that accretion takes place in a
in favor of Luz Lopez de Bueno, and Margarita Lopez appealed.
testamentary succession,
 On January 3, 1924, Tomas Rodriguez executed his last will and
 first when the two or more persons are called to the same
testament, in the second clause of which he declared:
inheritance or the same portion thereof without special
designation of shares; and
I institute as the only and universal heirs to all my property, my cousin
Vicente F. Lopez and his daughter Luz Lopez de Bueno.  secondly, when one of the persons so called dies before the
testator or renounces the inheritance or is disqualified to
receive it.
 Prior to the time of the execution of this will the testator, Tomas Rodriguez,
had been judicially declared incapable of taking care of himself and had  In the case before us we have a will calling Vicente F. Lopez and his
been placed under the care of his cousin Vicente F. Lopez, as guardian. daughter, Luz Lopez de Bueno, to the same inheritance without
special designation of shares. In addition to this, one of the persons
 On January 7, 1924, or only four days after the will above-mentioned was
named as heir has predeceased the testator, this person being also
made, Vicente F. Lopez died; and the testator, Tomas Rodriguez, died on
disqualified to receive the estate even if he had been alive at the time
February 25, 1924, thereafter.
of the testator's death.
 At the time the will was made Vicente F. Lopez had not
 This article (982) is therefore also of exact application to the case in
presented his final accounts as guardian, and no such
hand; and its effect is to give to the survivor, Luz Lopez de Bueno,
accounts had been presented by him at the time of his death.
not only the undivided half which she would have received in
 Margarita Lopez was a cousin and nearest relative of the
conjunction with her father if he had been alive and qualified to
decedent. The will referred to, and after having been
take, but also the half which pertained to him. There was no error
 whatever, therefore, in the order of the trial court declaring Luz Lopez 986 of the Civil Code affords independent proof that intestate
de Bueno entitled to the whole estate. succession to a vacant portion can only occur when accretion
is impossible.
Partial Intestacy Did Not Occur Because Accretion Under Article 983
takes Precedence Over Article 912 Vicente Lopez is Not Disqualified to Succeed, He is Disqualified to
Receive
 The argument in favor of the appellant supposes that there has
supervened a partial intestacy with respect to the half of the estate  The attorneys for the appellant direct attention to the fact that, under
which was intended for Vicente F. Lopez and that this half has paragraph 4 of article 912, intestate succession occurs when the heir
descended to the appellant, Margarita Lopez, as next of kin and sole instituted is disqualified to succeed (incapaz de suceder), while, under
heir at law of the decedent. the last provision in paragraph 2 of article 982, accretion occurs when
 Article 764 of the Civil Code declares, among other things, one of the persons called to inherit under the will is disqualified to
that a will may be valid even though the person instituted as receive the inheritance (incapaz de recibirla).
heir is disqualified to inherit.  A distinction is then drawn between incapacity to succeed and
 Appellant argues that instead, Article 912 should apply incapacity to take, and it is contended that the disability of
wherein it is declared, among other things, that legal Vicente F. Lopez was such as to bring the case under article
succession takes place if the heir dies before the testator 912 rather than 982.
and also when the heir instituted is disqualified to  We are of the opinion that the case cannot be made to
succeed. Upon these provisions an argument is planted turn upon so refined an interpretation of the language of
conducting to the conclusion that the will of Tomas Rodriguez the Code, and at any rate the disability to which Vicente F.
was valid, notwithstanding the fact that one of the individuals Lopez was subject was not a general disability to succeed
named as heirs in the will was disqualified to take, and that as but an accidental incapacity to receive the legacy, a
a consequence Margarita Lopez s entitled to inherit the share consideration which makes a case for accretion rather
of said disqualified heir. than for intestate succession.
 We are the opinion that this contention is untenable and that the  The opinions of the commentators, so far as they have expressed
appellee clearly has the better right. In playing the provisions of the themselves on the subject, tend to the conclusion that the right of
Code it is the duty of the court to harmonize its provisions as far as accretion with regard to portions of an inheritance left vacant by the
possible, giving due effect to all; and in case of conflict between two death or disqualification of one of the heirs or his renunciation of the
provisions the more general is to be considered as being limited by inheritance is governed by article 912, without being limited, to the
the more specific. extent supposed in appellant's brief, by provisions of the Code relative
 As between articles 912 and 983, it is obvious that the to intestate succession. Says Escriche: "It is to be understood that one
former is the more general of the two, dealing, as it does, of the coheirs or colegatees fails if nonexistent at the time of the
with the general topic of intestate succession while the making of the will, or he renounces the inheritance or legacy, if he dies
latter is more specific, defining the particular conditions before the testator, if the condition be not fulfilled, or if he becomes
under which accretion takes place. In case of conflict, otherwise incapacitated.
therefore, the provisions of the former article must be  In conclusion it may be worth observing that there has always existed
considered limited by the latter. both in the civil and in the common law a certain legal intendment,
 Indeed, in subsection 3 of article 912 the provision with amounting to a mild presumption, against partial intestacy. In
respect to intestate succession is expressly subordinated to Roman law, as is well known, partial testacy systems a presumption
article 983 by the expression "and (if) there is no right of against it, — a presumption which has its basis in the supposed
accretion." It is true that the same express qualification is not intention of the testator.
found in subsection 4 of article 912, yet it must be so
understood, in view of the rule of interpretation above referred DECISION: The judgment appealed from will be affirmed, and it is so ordered,
to, by which the more specific is held to control the general. with costs against the appellant.
 Besides, this interpretation supplies the only possible means
of harmonizing the two provisions. In addition to this, article