It’s final: Ayala Land loses Las Piñas golf course

THE Inc.’s (ALI) title over a 49-hectare golf course in its Southvale development in Las Piñas City.

In a resolution dated December 4, 2017, but released just recently, the high court denied ALI’s motion for reconsideration of its decision dated July 26, 2017.

The tribunal said Ayala Land’s motion for reconsideration lacked merit because it failed to present substantial arguments to convince

the high court to reverse its earlier decision.

The case stemmed from the overlapping claims of Ayala Land and the spouses Yu Hwa Ping and Mary Gaw as well as the heirs of the spouses Andres Diaz and Josefa Mia over the property.

Ayala Corporation obtained the property from Goldenrod Inc. and Pesala. In 1992, following the merger of respondent ALI and Las Piñas Ventures Inc., Ayala Land acquired the property and eventually developed it into high-end residential enclaves.

At the end of the decades old case, the SC eventually found that ALI’s titles over the property were based on defective surveys.

The high court held in its earlier decision that it “cannot close its eyes” to the “blatant” defects on the surveys upon which the original titles of Ayala Land were derived simply because its titles were registered.

title in the registration books, even though these were sourced from invalid surveys, would tarnish and damage the Torrens system of registration, rather than uphold its integrity,” the SC said.

“Good faith must concur with registration because, otherwise, registration would be an exercise in futility,” it added.

According to the high court, when a land registration decree is marred by severe irregularities that discredit the integrity of the Torrens system, it will hesitate from nullifying such illegal titles in order to protect the public against unscrupulous and illicit land ownership.