EN BANC

April 29, 1953

G.R. No. L-5826
Testate estate of the late VICENTE CAGRO. JESUSA CAGRO, petitioner-appellee,
vs.
PELAGIO CAGRO, ET AL., oppositors-appellants.
Clouduallo Lucero and Vicente C. Santos for appellants.
Marciano Chitongco and Zosimo B. Echanova for appellee.
PARAS, C.J.:
Tis is an appeal interpose! "# te oppositors $ro% a !e&ision o$ te Co'rt o$ (irst )nstan&e o$
*a%ar, a!%ittin+ to pro"ate te ,ill alle+e!l# e-e&'te! "# .i&ente Ca+ro ,o !ie! in Laoan+an,
/a%"'0an, *a%ar, on (e"r'ar# 11, 1919.
Te %ain o"0e&tion insiste! 'pon "# te appellant in tat te ,ill is $atall# !e$e&tive, "e&a'se its
attestation &la'se is not si+ne! "# te attestin+ ,itnesses. Tere is no 2'estion tat te
si+nat'res o$ te tree ,itnesses to te ,ill !o not appear at te "otto% o$ te attestation &la'se,
alto'+ te pa+e &ontainin+ te sa%e is si+ne! "# te ,itnesses on te le$t-an! %ar+in.
3e are o$ te opinion tat te position ta4en "# te appellant is &orre&t. Te attestation &la'se is
5a %e%oran!'% o$ te $a&ts atten!in+ te e-e&'tion o$ te ,ill5 re2'ire! "# la, to "e %a!e "# te
attestin+ ,itnesses, an! it %'st ne&essaril# "ear teir si+nat'res. An 'nsi+ne! attestation &la'se
&annot "e &onsi!ere! as an a&t o$ te ,itnesses, sin&e te o%ission o$ teir si+nat'res at te
"otto% tereo$ ne+atives teir parti&ipation.
Te petitioner an! appellee &onten!s tat si+nat'res o$ te tree ,itnesses on te le$t-an!
%ar+in &on$or% s'"stantiall# to te la, an! %a# "e !ee%e! as teir si+nat'res to te attestation
&la'se. Tis is 'ntena"le, "e&a'se sai! si+nat'res are in &o%plian&e ,it te le+al %an!ate tat
te ,ill "e si+ne! on te le$t-an! %ar+in o$ all its pa+es. )$ an attestation &la'se not si+ne! "#
te tree ,itnesses at te "otto% tereo$, "e a!%itte! as s'$$i&ient, it ,o'l! "e eas# to a!! s'&
&la'se to a ,ill on a s'"se2'ent o&&asion an! in te a"sen&e o$ te testator an! an# or all o$ te
,itnesses.
3ere$ore, te appeale! !e&ision is reverse! an! te pro"ate o$ te ,ill in 2'estion !enie!. *o
or!ere! ,it &osts a+ainst te petitioner an! appellee.
Pablo, Bengon, Montema!or, "ugo and Labrador, ""., concur.
Separate Opinions
AUTISTA ANGELO, J.,!issentin+6
) !issent. )n %# opinion te ,ill in 2'estion as s'"stantiall# &o%plie! ,it te $or%alities o$ te
la, an!, tere$ore, so'l! "e a!%itte! to pro"ate . )t appears tat te ,ill ,as si+ne! "# te
testator an! ,as atteste! "# tree instr'%ental ,itnesses, not onl# at te "otto%, "'t also on te
le$t-an! %ar+in. Te ,itnesses testi$ie! not onl# tat te ,ill ,as si+ne! "# te testator in teir
presen&e an! in te presen&e o$ ea& oter "'t also tat ,en te# !i! so, te attestation &la'se
,as alrea!# ,ritten tereon. Teir testi%on# as not "een &ontra!i&te!. Te onl# o"0e&tion set 'p
"# te oppositors to te vali!it# o$ te ,ill is te $a&t tat te si+nat'res o$ te instr'%ental
,itnesses !o not appear i%%e!iatel# a$ter te attestation &la'se.
Tis o"0e&tion is too te&ni&al to "e entertaine!. )n te &ase o$ Abangan vs . Abangan, (40 Phil.,
476), tis &o'rt sai! tat ,en te testa%entar# !ispositions 7are ,oll# ,ritten on onl# one
seet si+ne! at te "otto% "# te testator an! tree ,itnesses 8as te instant &ase9,teir
si+nat'res on te le$t %ar+in o$ sai! seet ,o'l! "e &o%pletel# p'rposeless.7 )n s'& a &ase, te
&o'rt sai!, te re2'ire%ent o$ te si+nat'res on te le$t an! %ar+in ,as not ne&essar# "e&a'se
te p'rpose o$ te la, : ,i& is to avoi! te s'"stit'tion o$ an# o$ te seets o$ te ,ill, tere"#
&an+in+ te testator5s !ispositions : as alrea!# "een a&&o%plise!. 3e %a# sa# te sa%e
tin+ in &onne&tion ,it te ,ill 'n!er &onsi!eration "e&a'se ,ile te tree instr'%ental
,itnesses !i! not si+n i%%e!iatel# "# te %a0orit# tat it %a# ave "een onl# a!!e! on a
s'"se2'ent o&&asion an! not at te 'n&ontra!i&te! testi%on# o$ sai! ,itnesses to te e$$e&t tat
s'& attestation &la'se ,as alrea!# ,ritten in te ,ill ,en te sa%e ,as si+ne!.
Te $ollo,in+ o"servation %a!e "# tis &o'rt in te A"an+an &ase is ver# $ittin+6
Te o"0e&t o$ te sole%nities s'rro'n!in+ te e-e&'tion o$ ,ills is to &lose te !oor a+ainst "a!
$ait an! $ra'! to avoi! s'"stit'tion o$ ,ills an! testa%ents an! to +'arant# teir tr't an!
a'tenti&it#. Tere$ore te la,s on tis s'"0e&t so'l! "e interprete! in s'& a ,a# as to attain
tese pri%or!ial en!s. B't, on te oter an!, also one %'st not lose si+t o$ te $a&t tat it i not
te o"0e&t o$ te la, to restrain an! &'rtail te e-er&ise o$ te ri+t to %a4e a ,ill. *o ,en an
interpretation alrea!# +iven ass'res s'& en!s, an# oter interpretation alrea!# +iven ass'res
s'& en!s, an# oter interpretation ,atsoever, tat a!!s notin+ "'t !e%an!s %ore re2'isites
entirel# 'nne&essar# 'seless an! $r'strative o$ te testator5s last ,ill, %'st "e !isre+ar!e!.
8supra9
3e so'l! not also overloo4 te li"eral tren! o$ te Ne, Civil Co!e in te %atter o$ interpretation
o$ ,ills, te p'rpose o$ ,i&, in &ase o$ !o'"t, is to +ive s'& interpretation tat ,o'l! ave te
e$$e&t o$ preventin+ intesta&# 8arti&le ;88 an! ;91, Ne, Civil Co!e9
) a% tere$ore o$ te opinion tat te ,ill in 2'estion so'l! "e a!%itte! to pro"ate.
#eria, "., concurs.
TUASON, J.,!issentin+6
) &'n&'r in <r. ='sti&e Ba'tista5s !issentin+ opinion an! %a# a!! tat te %a0orit# !e&ision
erroneo'sl# sets !o,n as a $a&t tat te attestation &la'se ,as no si+ne! ,en te ,itnesses
si+nat'res appear on te le$t %ar+in an! te real an! onl# 2'estion is ,eter s'& si+nat'res
are le+all# s'$$i&ient.
Te onl# ans,ers, in o'r '%"le opinion, is #es. Te la, on ,ills !oes not provi!e tat te
attestin+ ,itness so'l! si+n te &la'se at te "otto%. )n te a"sen&e o$ s'& provision, tere is
no reason ,# si+nat'res on te %ar+in are not +oo!. A letter is not an# te less te ,ritter5s
si%pl# "e&a'se it ,as si+ne!, not at te &onventional pla&e "'t on te si!e or on top.
#eria, "., concurs.