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Kawayan Hills Corporation vs. Honorable Court Of Appeals

KAWAYAN HILLS CORPORATION, PETITIONER, V. THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS, JUSTICES JUAN ENRIQUEZ, JR., APOLINARIO BRUSELAS, JR., MANUEL BARRIOS, AMELITA G. TOLENTINO, AND THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, RESPONDENTS.

G.R. No. 203090 | 2018-09-05

D E C I S I O N
 
LEONEN, J.:
 
A court confronted with an application for judicial confirmation of imperfect title cannot casually rely on the expedient aphorism that real property tax declarations are not conclusive evidence of ownership as a catch-all key to resolving the application. Instead, it must carefully weigh competing claims and consider the totality of evidence, bearing in mind the recognition in jurisprudence that payment of real property taxes is, nevertheless, "good indicia of possession in the concept of an owner, and when coupled with continuous possession, it constitutes strong evidence of title."[1]
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