G.R. No. L-10050 - Cirilo B. Santos vs. Cecilio Rivera

Republic of the Philippines
SUPREME COURT
Manila

EN BANC

G.R. No. L-10050 December 24, 1915

CIRILO B. SANTOS,plaintiff-appellant,
vs.
CECILIO RIVERA,defendant-appellee.

Cirilio B. Santos in his own behalf.
Felipe Agoncillo for appellee.

TRENT,J.:

This is an appeal from a judgment of the Court of First Instance, sustaining the demurrer to the amended complaint, on the ground that it does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, followed by an order dismissing the cause, after having given the plaintiff an opportunity to again amend his complaint.

The plaintiff seeks to compel the defendant to specifically perform a contract for the sale of certain described real estate and to pay the sum of P4,487 as damages, this sum being the difference between the price of P12,820cavanesofpalaywhich the plaintiff was compelled to sell on April 5, 1913, in order to obtain funds to pay for the realty which he agreed to buy and which the defendant agreed to sell, and the price which thepalaywould have brought in July of that year.

The complaint shows that the contract relied upon is an oral one which falls within the Statute of Frauds. (Sec. 335 of Act No. 190) No sufficient of frauds, if this could be done under section 335.1awphil.net

The statute of frauds does not make an oral contract within its terms illegal, but merely violable at the election of the party sought to be charged. Such election, however, must be manifested in some affirmative way. (Conluvs. Araneta and Guanko, 15 Phil. Rep., 387; Gallemitvs. Tabiliran, 20 Phil. Rep., 241; Gomezvs. Salcedo, 26 Phil. Rep., 485.) The defendant had expressly manifested by his demurrer that he does not wish to be bound by the oral contract to sell the realty in question. Under the allegations in the complaint, the defendant is well within his rights in doing so. He may set up the defense of the statute of frauds by demurrer, when the complaint shows on its face that the contract relied upon is an oral one and that there are no allegations which take the case out of the statute. (Gomezvs. Salcedo,supra.)

Now, may the plaintiff establish the oral contract for the purpose of recovering damages for its breach when he is not permitted to establish the contract for the purpose of specific performance? According to the allegations in the complaint, which are, at stage of the proceedings, accepted as true, the defendant led the plaintiff to believe , by his Oral; statement, that the contract for the sale of the realty would be consummated and the corresponding documents executed. Believing that the defendant would carry out his oral contract, the plaintiff sold hispalayat a reduced price in order to get sufficient funds to pay for the realty. After thepalayhad been thus sold and the plaintiff had obtained the required amount, he went to the house of the defendant with notary public and requested the execution of the deed, at the same time tendering the amount of the purchase price. Nothing else was done by either party. The defendant declined to go further with the matter.

The promise, upon which the statute of frauds declares that no action can be maintained, cannot be made effectual either in law of in equity merely because it has been acted upon by the promisee and not acted upon by the promisor.

The judgment appealed from is hereby affirmed with costs against the appellant.itc-a1fSo ordered.

Arellano, C.J., Torres, Carson and Araullo, JJ., concur.