SECOND DIVISION
G.R. No. 148019 July 26, 2004
RURAL BANK OF STA. CATALINA, INC., represented by The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation, in its capacity as Liquidator, petitioner,
vs.
LAND BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES, respondent.
D E C I S I O N
CALLEJO, SR., J.:
Before us is a petition for review on certiorari of the Decision1 of the Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. CV No. 62511 affirming the Decision2 of the Regional Trial Court of Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Branch 20 in Civil Case No. 4786-V.
On September 11, 1996, the respondent, Land Bank of the Philippines, filed a complaint against the petitioner, Sta. Catalina Rural Bank, Inc., in the Regional Trial Court of Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Branch 20, for the collection of the sum of P2,809,280.25, capitalized and accrued interests, penalties and surcharges, and for such other equitable reliefs. On motion of the respondent bank, the trial court issued an Order on January 23, 1997 declaring the petitioner bank in default for its failure to file its answer to the complaint.3 Despite its receipt of the copy of the said order, the petitioner bank failed to file a motion to set aside the order of default. The respondent bank, thereafter, adduced testimonial and documentary evidence on July 9 and 24, 1997, thus:
The plaintiff presented two (2) witnesses to substantiate its allegations in the complaint. First witness, Mr. Mervin Sison, the Chief Loans and Creditor of the Land Bank of the Philippines, Vigan Branch, testified that he knows of the Rediscounting Line Agreements entered into by and between the plaintiff and the defendant, through its president, Mr. Melchor P. Ines. Said agreements were identified by him in court with the first one dated November 28, 1990, for ONE MILLION PESOS (P1,000,000.00) (Exh. "A"), and the second one dated September 11, 1991, for THREE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS (P3,500,000.00) (Exh. "B"). In case of defendant's default, the availments shall be subject to three per cent (3%) penalty per month from due date of note as agreed upon in paragraph IV, No. 10 of the Rediscounting Line Agreements. On August 13, 1991, during the effectivity of the first Rediscounting Line Agreement, defendant made Availment No. 20 in the principal amount of TWO HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR THOUSAND and FOUR HUNDRED FORTY PESOS (P294,440.00) subject to a 14% interest per annum and with a term of one hundred eighty (180) days and proved by Payment Order and Discount Sheet dated August 13, 1991 (Exhs. "C" and "C-2"). On August 22, 1991, during the effectivity of the first Rediscounting Line Agreement, defendant made Availment No. 21 in the principal amount of TWO HUNDRED ONE THOUSAND and SIX HUNDRED TWENTY PESOS (P201,620.00) again subject to 14% interest per annum and with the term of one hundred eighty (180) days and evidenced by Payment Order and Discount Sheet dated August 22, 1991 (Exhs. "D" and "D-2"). On September 13, 1991, during the effectivity of the second Rediscounting Line Agreement, defendant again made Availment No. 22 in the principal amount of SEVEN HUNDRED TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND and ONE HUNDRED SIXTY PESOS (P722,160.00) subject to 14% interest per annum and again with a term of one hundred eighty (180) days as evidenced by Payment Order, Discount Sheet and Deed of Assignment, all dated September 13, 1991 (Exhs. "E," "E-2" and "E-3"). On September 25, 1991, and during the effectivity of the second Rediscounting Line Agreement, the defendant made Availment No. 23 in the principal amount of EIGHT HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE THOUSAND and SEVEN HUNDRED THIRTY PESOS (P861,730.00) again subject to 14% per annum interest and with a term of one hundred eighty (180) days and evidenced by Payment Order, Discount Sheet and Deed of Assignment dated September 25, 1991 (Exhs. "F," "F-2," and "F-3"). On October 23, 1991, and during the effectivity of the second Rediscounting Line Agreement, defendant again made Availment No. 24 in the principal amount of TWO HUNDRED ONE THOUSAND and FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY PESOS (P201,450.00) now subject to 6% interest per annum and with a term of one hundred eighty (180) days, as evidenced by Payment Order, Discount Sheet and Deed of Assignment, dated October 23, 1991 (Exhs. "G," "G-2" and "G-3"). On October 30, 1991, defendant made Availment Numbers 25 and 26 in the corresponding amounts of ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-SIX THOUSAND and SIX HUNDRED EIGHTY PESOS (P136,680.00) and ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-SEVEN THOUSAND and SEVEN HUNDRED FIVE PESOS (P167,705.00), respectively, both subject to 14% interest per annum and with a term of one hundred eighty (180) days as evidenced by Payment Orders, Discount Sheets and Deeds of Assignments, all dated October 30, 1991 (Exhs. "H," "H-2," "H-3," "I," "I-2" and "I-3"). On November 11, 1991, during the effectivity of the second Rediscounting Line Agreement, defendant again made Availment No. 27 in the principal amount of TWO HUNDRED FIVE THOUSAND and EIGHT HUNDRED SEVENTY PESOS (P205,870.00) subject to 14% interest per annum and with a term of one hundred eighty (180) days as evidenced by Payment Order, Discount Sheet and Deed of Assignment, dated November 11, 1991 (Exhs. "J," "J-2" and "J-3"). On December 16, 1991, during the effectivity of the second Rediscounting Line [Agreement], defendant made Availment No. 28 in the principal amount of ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-FOUR THOUSAND and FOUR HUNDRED TWO PESOS (P154,402.00) subject to 14% interest per annum and with a term of one hundred eighty (180) days as evidenced by Payment Order, Discount Sheet and Deed of Assignment, dated December 16, 1991 (Exhs. "K," "K-2" and "K-3").
Second Witness, Ms. Elenita del Castillo, corroborated the testimony of Mr. Sison and she testified that she knows the defendant, being a borrower of the plaintiff bank, and that being one of the accounting staffs of the plaintiff, it is one of her official duties to prepare Statement of Accounts of various clients of the plaintiff. She even prepared one for the defendant which she presented the original (Exh. "L") during her examination. She explained Exhibit "L" as follows: The first column represents the availment numbers which were from number 20 to 28. The second column represents the corresponding amount availed of which totals TWO MILLION NINE HUNDRED FORTY-SIX THOUSAND FIFTY-SEVEN PESOS and FIFTY CENTAVOS (P2,946,057.50). The third column represents the principal balance which is the unpaid balance of the total amount availed of, which totals to TWO MILLION EIGHT HUNDRED NINE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED EIGHTY PESOS and TWENTY-FIVE CENTAVOS (P2,809,280.25). The fourth column represents the Capitalized Interest which is the interest from availment date to the date when defendant requested for and was granted the re-structuring of its past due availment on April 30, 1993. Capitalized interests shall form part of the principal and, thus, shall be subject to interest from [the] date of capitalization. The fifth column is the Accrued Interest, which is the interest from [the] date of re-structuring to [the] cut-off date. The sixth column is the Accrued Penalty which is the penalty from due date to cut-off and the seventh column is the Total Amount Due which is the Unpaid Principal, Capitalized Interest, Accrued Interest and Accrued Penalty which has a grand total of FIVE MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED EIGHTY-ONE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED NINETY-ONE PESOS and THIRTY-NINE CENTAVOS (P5,781,991.39) as of July 23, 1997.4
In the meantime, on January 14, 1998, the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of the Philippines approved the placement of the petitioner bank's assets under receivership under Section 29 of Republic Act No. 7653,5 as recommended by its Supervision and Management Section dated March 31, 1997. The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) was designated as receiver (conservator) of the petitioner, and the latter was prohibited from doing business in the Philippines.6
Unaware of the action of the Central Bank of the Philippines, the trial court, on April 7, 1998, rendered judgment by default against the petitioner bank, the dispositive portion of which reads:
WHEREFORE, in view of the foregoing, judgment is hereby rendered in favor of the plaintiff and the defendant is hereby ordered:
1. To pay the sum of FIVE MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED EIGHTY-ONE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED NINETY-ONE PESOS and THIRTY-NINE CENTAVOS (P5,781,991.39) to the plaintiff;
2. To pay interests from 23 July 1997 until its obligations are fully paid at the rate of 14% interest per annum except for Availment Nos. 24 & 25 which are subject to 6% interest per annum;
3. To pay the penalty from 23 July 1997 until its obligations are fully paid at the rate of 3% per month; and
4. For the defendant to pay the cost of litigation.
SO ORDERED.7
The petitioner, through the PDIC, appealed the decision to the Court of Appeals. On September 22, 1998, the PDIC submitted a Report to the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of the Philippines that the petitioner bank remained insolvent, and that its management failed to rehabilitate the said bank. On September 28, 1998, the Monetary Board resolved, thus:
1. To instruct Management to notify in writing the board of directors of the aforementioned rural banks of the findings; and
2. To direct the receiver to proceed with the liquidation of the aforementioned rural banks in accordance with Section 30 of R.A. No. 7653.8
The petitioner, through the PDIC, asserted the following in its appeal before the Court of Appeals:
THE HONORABLE COURT ERRED IN HOLDING THAT DEFENDANT-APPELLANT BANK IS STILL LIABLE TO PAY INTEREST AND PENALTY ON ITS LOAN OBLIGATION AFTER IT HAS BEEN PLACED UNDER RECEIVERSHIP/LIQUIDATION.9
The petitioner bank cited the ruling of this Court in Overseas Bank of Manila vs. Court of Appeals10 to support its claim that since it was placed under receivership on January 14, 1998, and prohibited from doing business in the Philippines, it should no longer be held liable for interests and penalties on its account to the respondent bank.
On January 12, 2002, the CA rendered judgment affirming the decision of the RTC. The CA ruled that having failed to file a motion for reconsideration of the trial court's order declaring it in default before such court rendered judgment, compounded by its failure to do so in the Court of Appeals, the petitioner bank was precluded from invoking in the appellate court the placement of its assets and affairs under receivership on January 14, 1998, and its exemption from liability for interests and penalties on its account with the respondent bank after the said date. The CA ruled that if it acquiesced to the contention of the petitioner bank, it would defeat the very principle behind the declaration of default of a party for failing to file an answer to the complaint within the reglementary period therefor. The CA further declared that a contrary ruling would render nugatory the effect of the trial court's declaration of default on the part of the petitioner bank.
In the petition at bar, the petitioner raises the lone issue of whether or not it is liable for interests and penalties on its account with the respondent after January 14, 1998, when its assets and affairs were placed under receivership by the Central Bank of the Philippines, and was prohibited from doing business.
The petitioner asserts that, based on the ruling of this Court in Overseas Bank of Manila vs. Court of Appeals,11 its liability to the respondent under its availments must be limited only to P5,814,712.40, the aggregate amount of its outstanding liability as of the date of its closure, inclusive of accrued interests and penalties. The petitioner avers that the PDIC, as the liquidator of the petitioner, should not be faulted for failing to file its Answer to the complaint and to move for a reconsideration of the default order in the trial court and in the CA, because it had no knowledge of the case filed against the petitioner. The petitioner avers that it was only when the PDIC was served with a copy of the decision of the trial court that it learned, for the first time, of the pendency of the case in the RTC.
The petition has no merit.
The records show that the petitioner was served with a copy of summons and the complaint, but failed to file its answer thereto. It also failed to file a verified motion to set aside the Order of default dated January 23, 1997 despite its receipt of a copy thereof. We note that the trial court rendered judgment only on April 7, 1998 or more than a year after the issuance of the default order; yet, the petitioner failed to file any verified motion to set aside the said order before the rendition of the judgment of default. The PDIC was designated by the Central Bank of the Philippines as receiver (conservator) as early as January 14, 1998, and in the course of its management of the petitioner bank's affairs, it should have known of the pendency of the case against the latter in the trial court. Moreover, the petitioner, through the PDIC, received a copy of the decision of the trial court on June 2, 1998, but did not bother filing a motion for partial reconsideration, under Rule 37 of the Rules of Court, appending thereto the orders of the Monetary Board or a motion to set aside the order of default. Instead, the petitioner appealed the decision, and even failed to assign as an error the default order of the trial court. The petitioner is, thus, barred from relying on the orders of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of the Philippines placing its assets and affairs under receivership and ordering its liquidation.
It bears stressing that a defending party declared in default loses his standing in court and his right to adduce evidence and to present his defense.12 He, however, has the right to appeal from the judgment by default and assail said judgment on the ground, inter alia, that the amount of the judgment is excessive or is different in kind from that prayed for, or that the plaintiff failed to prove the material allegations of his complaint, or that the decision is contrary to law.13 Such party declared in default is proscribed from seeking a modification or reversal of the assailed decision on the basis of the evidence submitted by him in the Court of Appeals, for if it were otherwise, he would thereby be allowed to regain his right to adduce evidence, a right which he lost in the trial court when he was declared in default, and which he failed to have vacated. In this case, the petitioner sought the modification of the decision of the trial court based on the evidence submitted by it only in the Court of Appeals.
The petitioner cannot, likewise, rely on the ruling of the Court in Overseas Bank of Manila vs. Court of Appeals, because in the said case, the issue of whether a party who had been declared in default is entitled to relief from the judgment by default based on evidence presented only in the appellate court, when such order of default was not vacated by the trial court prior to the appeal from the judgment of default was not raised therein, much less resolved by the Court.
IN LIGHT OF ALL THE FOREGOING, the petition is DENIED due course. The Decision of the Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. CV No. 62511 is AFFIRMED. No costs.
SO ORDERED.
Puno, (Chairman), Austria-Martinez, Tinga, and Chico-Nazario, JJ., concur.
Footnotes
1 Penned by Associate Justice Martin S. Villarama, Jr., with Associate Justices Conrado M. Vasquez, Jr. and Perlita J. Tria Tirona, concurring.
2 Penned by Judge Alipio V. Flores.
3 Records, p. 29.
4 Records, pp. 38-41.
5 SEC. 29. Appointment of Conservator.— Whenever, on the basis of a report submitted by the appropriate supervising or examining department, the Monetary Board finds that a bank or a quasi-bank is in a state of continuing inability or unwillingness to maintain a condition of liquidity deemed adequate to protect the interest of depositors and creditors, the Monetary Board may appoint a conservator with such powers as the Monetary Board shall deem necessary to take charge of the assets, liabilities, and the management thereof, reorganize the management, collect all monies and debts due said institution, and exercise all powers necessary to restore its viability. The conservator shall report and be responsible to the Monetary Board and shall have the power to overrule or revoke the actions of the previous management and board of directors of the bank or quasi-bank.
The conservator should be competent and knowledgeable in bank operations and management. The conservatorship shall not exceed one (1) year.
The conservator shall receive remuneration to be fixed by the Monetary Board in an amount not to exceed two-thirds (2/3) of the salary of the president of the institution in one (1) year, payable in twelve (12) equal monthly payments: Provided, That, if, at any time within the one-year period, the conservatorship is terminated on the ground that the institution can operate on its own, the conservator shall receive the balance of the remuneration which he would have received up to the end of the year, but if the conservatorship is terminated on other grounds, the conservator shall not be entitled to such remaining balance. The Monetary Board may appoint a conservator connected with the Bangko Sentral, in which case he shall not be entitled to receive any remuneration or emolument from the Bangko Sentral during the conservatorship. The expenses attendant to the conservatorship shall be borne by the bank or quasi-bank concerned.
The Monetary Board shall terminate the conservatorship when it is satisfied that the institution can continue to operate on its own and the conservatorship is no longer necessary. The conservatorship shall, likewise, be terminated should the Monetary Board, on the basis of the report of the conservator or of its own findings, determine that the continuance in business of the institution would involve probable loss to its depositors or creditors in which case the provisions of Section 30 shall apply.
6 Rollo, p. 160.
7 Records, p. 42.
8 Rollo, p. 161.
9 Id. at 120.
10 105 SCRA 49 (1981).
11 Ibid.
12 Cavili vs. Florendo, 154 SCRA 610 (1987).
13 Lina vs. Court of Appeals, 135 SCRA 637 (1985).
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