Pangangasiwa ng ari-arian ng menor-de-edad

ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta - @Magtanong Kay Attorney | October 26, 2022

Dear Chief Acosta,

Ako at ang aking kapatid na menor-de-edad ay nakapagmana mula sa aming yumaong ama ng ilang lupain. Noong nakaraang taon ay napag-alaman ko na ipinagbili ng aming ina ang lupain na pagmamay-ari ng aking kapatid nang walang pahintulot mula kanino man. Maaari ba iyon? - Karl

Dear Karl,

Ang mga batas na sasaklaw tungkol sa iyong katanungan ay ang Executive Order (EO) No. 209 o kinikilala bilang "The Family Code of the Philippines" at Republic Act (RA) No. 386 o mas kilala bilang “Civil Code of the Philippines.”

“ARTICLE 225 ng EO No. 209

Art. 225. The father and the mother shall jointly exercise legal guardianship over the property of the unemancipated common child without the necessity of a court appointment. In case of disagreement, the father's decision shall prevail, unless there is a judicial order to the contrary...xxx”

ARTICLE 320 ng RA No. 386:

Art. 320.— The father, or in his absence the mother, is the legal administrator of the property pertaining to the child under parental authority. If the property is worth more than two thousand pesos, the father or mother shall give a bond subject to the approval of the Court of First Instance.”

Samantala, inilahad ng Korte Suprema sa kaso ng Elena Lindain et al. v. Hon. Court of Appeals (G.R. No. 95305, 20 August 1992), isinulat ni Kagalang-galang na dating Mahistrado Carolina Griño-Aquino na:

“Under the law, a parent, acting merely as the legal (as distinguished from judicial) administrator of the property of his/her minor children, does not have the power to dispose of, or alienate, the property of said children without judicial approval. The powers and duties of the widow as legal administrator of her minor children's property as provided in Rule 84 by the Rules of Court entitled, "General Powers and Duties of Executors and Administrators" are only powers of possession and management. Her power to sell, mortgage, encumber or otherwise dispose of the property of her minor children must proceed from the court, as provided in Rule 89 which requires court authority and approval.” (Binigyang-diin)

Alinsunod sa mga nabanggit na probisyon ng batas at desisyon ng Korte Suprema, ang magulang ay itinuturing na legal guardian ng kanyang menor-de-edad na anak. Bilang legal guardian, ang magulang ay naatasan na mangasiwa ng mga ari-arian ng kanyang anak. Subalit, ang kanyang kapangyarihan ay limitado lamang sa pangangasiwa at pangangalaga ng nasabing ari-arian, at hindi nito sakop ang pagbenta, pagsangla o pagbigay sa anumang paraan nang walang pahintulot mula sa Korte. Ang alin mang transaksyong ginawa sa lupang pagmamay-ari ng menor-de-edad na labag sa batas ay walang bisa.

Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay.

Maraming salamat sa iyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.