President Ferdinand Marcos signed Presidential Decree No. 1529, the Property Registration Decree, on June 11, 1978. It consolidated and updated the Torrens system of land registration previously governed by Act 496. The decree aimed to simplify registration procedures and provide greater security of land titles.

The Supreme Court held that a certificate of title issued pursuant to a void decree of registration may be cancelled after one year from entry of the decree. Fraud that attended the issuance vitiates the registration. This ruling clarified that indefeasibility is not absolute when the decree itself is procured through fraud.

The Supreme Court established stringent requirements for judicial reconstitution of lost or destroyed certificates of title. The petitioner must present the owner's duplicate certificate or other sufficient evidence enumerated in RA 26. Mere tax declarations or unregistered deeds are insufficient.

The Supreme Court affirmed that lands of the public domain cannot be acquired by prescription or adverse possession regardless of good faith or length of occupation. Only an express grant from the State through proper proceedings under PD 1529 can confer registrable title to public land.

The Supreme Court held that possession and occupation for purposes of judicial confirmation of imperfect title must be open, continuous, exclusive, and notorious since June 12, 1945, or earlier. Applicants must prove possession by themselves and predecessors-in-interest for the entire statutory period.

The Supreme Court applied the Regalian doctrine, holding that all lands not appearing to be clearly within private ownership are presumed to belong to the State. The burden of proof rests on the applicant to overcome this presumption with well-nigh incontrovertible evidence.

The Supreme Court held that a certificate of title issued in accordance with law is indefeasible and imprescriptible after one year from the entry of the decree of registration. Even the State cannot collaterally attack a Torrens title.

The Supreme Court ruled that a CENRO or DENR certification that land is alienable and disposable is required in all applications for original registration. Without such certification, the application must fail as the land is presumed part of the public domain.

The Supreme Court en banc held that possession for purposes of original registration must have commenced on June 12, 1945, or earlier. Applicants must prove possession since that specific date; otherwise, they cannot avail themselves of judicial confirmation of imperfect title under Section 14(1) of PD 1529.

The Supreme Court reiterated that applicants in land registration cases bear the burden of proving by clear, positive, and convincing evidence that they meet all statutory requirements. Substantial compliance is insufficient; strict compliance is required for original registration under PD 1529.

The Supreme Court held that the provisions of the Civil Code on acquisition of ownership through prescription do not apply to lands of the public domain. Public lands may be acquired only through strict compliance with PD 1529 and related public land laws, not through the lapse of time alone.

The Supreme Court held that decisions in land registration cases under PD 1529 are final orders and subject to the regular period for appeal under the Rules of Court. The Republic must file its notice of appeal within 15 days from notice of judgment.