EN BANC "voluntary";preterition upon the other hand, is presumed

to be "involuntary." (Sanchez Roman, Estudios de

Derecho Civil, 2nd edition, Volume 20, p. 1131.)
[G.R. No. L-23445. June 23, 1966.]
4. ID.; ID.; ID.; EFFECTS FLOWING FROM
PRETERITION AND DISINHERITANCE. — The effects
REMEDIOS NUGUID, petitioner- flowing from preterition are totally different from those of
appellant,vs. FELIX NUGUID and disinheritance. Preterition under Article 854 of the Civil
PAZ SALONGA NUGUID,oppositors- Code "shall annul the institution of heir. "This
appellees. annulment is in toto, unless in the will there are, in
addition, testamentary dispositions in the form of
devises or legacies. In ineffective disinheritance under
Article 918 of the same Code, such disinheritance shall
Custodio O. Partade for petitioner-appellant. also "annul the institution of heirs," but only "insofar as
Beltran, Beltran & Beltran for oppositors- it may prejudice the person disinherited," which last
appellees. phrase was omitted in the case of preterition. (III
Tolentino, Civil Code of the Philippines, 1961. Edition,
p. 172.) Better stated yet, in disinheritance the nullity is
limited to that portion of the estate of which the
SYLLABUS disinherited heirs have been illegally deprived.
6. ID.; ID.; WHEN LEGACIES AND DEVISES
1. PROBATE OF WILL; COURT'S AREA OF MERIT CONSIDERATION. — Legacies and devises
INQUIRY LIMITED TO EXTRINSIC VALIDITY OF merit consideration only when they are so expressly
WILL; WHEN COURT MAY RULE ON INTRINSIC given as such in a will. Nothing in Article 854 of the Civil
VALIDITY; CASE AT BAR. — In a proceeding for the Code suggests that the mere institution of a universal
probate of a will, the court's area of inquiry is limited to heir in a will — void because of preterition — would
an examination of, and resolution on, the extrinsic give the heir so instituted a share in the inheritance. As
validity of the will; the due execution thereof; the to him, the will is inexistent. There must be, in addition
testatrix's testamentary capacity; and the compliance to such institution, a testamentary disposition granting
with the requisites or solemnities prescribed the by law. him bequests or legacies apart and separate from the
In the case at bar, however, a peculiar situation exists. nullified institution of heir.
The parties shunted aside the question of whether or 7. ID.; ID.; ID.; INSTITUTION OF HEIRS
not the will should be allowed probate. They questioned CANNOT BE CONSIDERED LEGACY. — Petitioner
the intrinsic validity of the will. Normally, this comes insists that the compulsory heirs ineffectively
only after the court has declared that the will has been disinherited are entitled to receive their legitimes, but
duly authenticated. But if the case were to be remanded that the institution of heir "is not invalidated," although
for probate of the will, nothing will be gained. In the the inheritance of the heir so instituted is reduced to the
event of probate or if the court rejects the will, extent of said legitimes. This theory, if adopted, will
probability exists that the case will come up once again result in a complete abrogation of Articles 814 and 851
before this Court on the same issue of the intrinsic of the Civil Code.If every case of institution of heirs may
validity or nullity of the will. The result would be waste be made to fall into the concept of legacies and
of time, effort, expense, plus added anxiety. These betterments reducing the bequest accordingly, then the
practical considerations induce this Court to meet head- provisions of Articles 814 and 851 regarding total or
on the issue of the nullity of the provisions of the will in partial nullity of the institution, would be absolutely
question, there being a justiciable controversy awaiting meaningless and will never have any application at all.
solution. And the remaining provisions contained in said articles
2. SUCCESSION; PRETERITION; concerning the reduction of inofficious legacies or
OMISSION OF NAMES OF FORCED HEIRS. — The betterments would be a surplusage because they would
deceased left no descendants, legitimate or illegitimate. be absorbed by Article 817 of the same code.
But she left forced heirs in the direct ascending time —
her parents. Her will does not explicitly disinherit them
but simply omits their names altogether. Said will rather
than he labelled ineffective disinheritance is clearly one DECISION
in which the said forced heirs suffer from preterition.
3. ID.;ID.;PRETERITION DISTINGUISHED
FROM DISINHERITANCE. — Preterition "consists in
the omission in the testator's will of the forced heirs or SANCHEZ,J p:
anyone of them, either because the are not mentioned
therein, or, though mentioned, they are neither Rosario Nuguid, a resident of Quezon City,
instituted as heirs nor are expressly disinherited." (Neri, died on December 30, 1962, single, without
et al. vs. Akutin, at al.,72 Phil.,p. 325.) Disinheritance; in descendants, legitimate or illegitimate. Surviving her
turn, "is a testamentary disposition depriving any were her legitimate parents, Felix Nuguid and Paz
compulsory heir of heir share in the legitime for a cause Salonga Nuguid, and 6 brothers and sisters namely:
authorized by law." (Justice J.B.L. Reyes and R.C. Alfredo, Federico, Remedios, Conrado, Lourdes and
Puno, "An Outline of Philippine Civil Law," 1956 ed.,Vol. Alberto, all surnamed Nuguid.
III, p. 8, citing cases.) Disinheritance is always
 On May 18, 1963, petitioner 2. Petitioner's sole assignment of error
Remedios Nuguid filed in the Court of First Instance of challenges the correctness of the conclusion below that
Rizal a holographic will allegedly executed by the will is a complete nullity. This exacts from us a
Rosario Nuguid on November 17, 1951, some 11 years study of the disputed will and the applicable statute.
before her demise. Petitioner prayed that said will be
admitted to probate and that letters of administration Reproduced hereunder is the will:
with the will annexed be issued to her. "Nov. 17, 1951.
On June 25, 1963, Felix Nuguid and Paz I, ROSARIO NUGUID,
Salonga Nuguid, concededly the legitimate father and being of sound and disposing mind
mother of the deceased Rosario Nuguid, entered their and memory, having amassed a
opposition to the probate of her will. Ground certain amount of property, do hereby
therefor, inter alia, is that by the institution of petitioner give, devise, and bequeath all of the
Remedios Nuguid as universal heir of the deceased, property which I may have when I die
oppositors — who are compulsory heirs of the to my beloved sister
deceased in the direct ascending line — were illegally Remedios Nuguid, age 34, residing
preterited and that in consequence the institution is with me at 38-B Iriga, Q.C. In witness
void. whereof, I have signed my name this
seventh day of November, nineteen
On August 29, 1963, before a hearing was
hundred and fifty-one.
had on the petition for probate and objection thereto,
oppositors moved to dismiss on the ground of absolute (S
preterition. gd
On September 6, 1963, petitioner registered .)
her opposition to the motion to dismiss. Ille
gib
The court's order of November 8, 1963, held le
that "the will in question is a complete nullity and will T/
perforce create intestacy of the estate of the deceased R
Rosario Nuguid" and dismissed the petition without O
costs. SA
RI
A motion to reconsider having been thwarted O 
below, petitioner came to this Court on appeal. N
1. Right at the outset, a procedural aspect U
has engaged our attention. The case is for the probate G
of a will. The court's area of inquiry is limited — to an UI
examination of, and resolution on, the extrinsic validity D"
of the will. The due execution thereof, the testatrix's The statute we are called upon to apply is
testamentary capacity, and the compliance with the Article 854 of the Civil Code which, in part, provides:
requisites or solemnities by law prescribed, are the
questions solely to be represented, and to be acted "Art. 854. The preterition or
upon, by the court. Said court — at this stage of the omission of one, some, or all of the
proceedings — is not called upon to rule on compulsory heirs in the direct line,
the intrinsic validity or efficacy of the provisions of the whether living at the time of the
will, the legality of any devise or legacy therein. 1 execution of the will or born after the
death of the testator. shall annul the
A peculiar situation is here thrust upon us. institution of heir; the devises and
The parties shunted aside the question of whether or legacies shall be valid insofar as they
not the will should be allowed probate. For them, the are not inofficious ..."
meat of the case is the intrinsic validity of the will.
Normally, this comes only after the court has declared Except for inconsequential variation in terms,
that the will been duly authenticated. 2 But petitioner the foregoing is a reproduction of Article 814 of the Civil
and oppositors, in the court below and here on appeal, Code of Spain of 1889, which is similarly herein copied,
travelled on the issue of law, to wit: Is the will thus —
intrinsically a nullity?
"Art. 814. The preterition of
We pause to reflect. If the case were to be one or all of the forced heirs in the
remanded for probate of the will, nothing will be gained. direct line, whether living at the time
On the contrary, this litigation will be protracted. And for of the execution of the will or born
aught that appears in the record, in the event of probate after the death of the testator, shall
or if the court rejects the will, probability exists that the void the institution of heir; but the
case will come once again before us on the same issue legacies and betterments 4 shall be
of the intrinsic validity or nullity of the will. Result: waste valid, in so far as they are not
of time, effort, expense, plus added anxiety. These are inofficious. .."
the practical considerations that induce us to a belief
that we might as well meet head-on the issue of the A comprehensive understanding of the
nullity of the provisions of the will in question. 3 After all, term preterition employed in the law becomes a
there exists a justiciable controversy crying for solution. necessity. On this point Manresa comments:
 "La pretericion consiste en "En cuanto a la institucion
omitir al heredero en el testamento. O de heredero, se anula. Lo que se
no se le nombra siquiera, o aun anula deja de existir, en todo o en
nombrandole como padre, hijo, parte? No se añade limitacion alguna,
etc.,no se leinstituye heredero ni se le como en el articulo 851, en el que se
deshereda expresamente, ni se le expresa que se anulara la institucion
asigna parte alguna de los bienes, de heredero en cuanto perjudique a la
resultando privado de un modo tacito legitima del desheredado. Debe,
de su derecho a legitima. pues, entenderse que la anulacion es
completa o total, y que este articulo
Para que exista pretericion, como especial en el caso que le
con arreglo al articulo 814, basta que motiva, rige con preferencia al
en el testamento omita el testador a 817." 10
uno cualquiera de aquelloa a quienes
por su muerte corresponda la The same view is expressed by Sánches
herencia forzosa. Roman: —

Se necesita, pues, a) Que "La consequencia de la

la omision se refiera a un heredero anulacion o nulidad de la institucion
forzoso.) b) Que la omision sea de heredero por pretericion de uno,
completa; que el heredero forzoso varios o todos los forzosos en linea
nada reciba en el testamento. 5 recta, es la apertura de la sucesion
intestada, total o parcial. Sera total,
It may now appear trite but nonetheless cuando el testador que comete la
helpful in giving us a clear perspective of the problem pretericion, hubiere dispuesto de
before us, to have on hand a clear-cut definition of the todos los bienes por titulo universal
word annul: de herencia en favor de los herederos
instituidos, cuya institucion se anula,
"To 'annul' means to porque asi lo exige la generalidad del
abrogate, to make void;...In re precepto legal del art. 814, al
Morrow's Estate, 54 A. 342, 343, 204 determinar, como efecto de la
Pa. 484." 6 pretericion el de que 'anulara la
institucion de heredero'..." 11
"The word 'annul' as used
in the statute requiring court to annul Really, as we analyze the
alimony provisions of divorce decree word annul employed in the statute, there is no
upon wife's remarriage means to escaping the conclusion that the universal institution of
reduce to nothing; to annihilate; petitioner to the entire inheritance results in totally
obliterate; blot out; to make void or of abrogating the will. Because, the nullification of such
no effect; to nullify; to abolish. institution of universal heir — without any other
N.J.S.A. 2:50 — 38 (now testamentary disposition in the will — amounts to a
N.J.S.2A:34-25).Madden vs.Madden, declaration that nothing at all was written. Carefully
40 A.2d 611, 614, 136 N.J. Eq. worded and in clear terms, Article 854 offers no leeway
132." 7 for inferential interpretation. Giving it an expansive
meaning will tear up by the roots the fabric of the
"ANNUL. To reduce to
statute. On this point, Sánchez Román cites the
nothing; annihilate; obliterate; to make
"Memoria annual del Tribunal Supremo,
void or of no effect; to nullify; to
correspondiente a 1908," which in our opinion
abolish; to do away with. Ex parte
expresses the rule of interpretation, viz:
Mitchell, 123 W. Va. 283, S.E. 2d.
771, 774." 8 " ...El art. 814, que
preceptua en tales casos de
And now, back to the facts and the law. The pretericion la nulidad de la institucion
deceased Rosario Nuguid left no descendants, de heredero no consiente
legitimate or illegitimate. But she left forced heirs in the interpretacion alguno favorable a lo
direct ascending line — her parents, now oppositors persona instituida en el sentido antes
Felix Nuguid and Paz Salonga Nuguid. And, the will expuesto, aun cuando parezca, y en
completely omits both of them: They thus received algun caso pudiera ser, mas o menos
nothing by the testament; tacitly, they were deprived of equitativa, porque una nulidad no
their legitime; neither were they expressly disinherited. significa en Derecho sino la
This is a clear case of preterition. Such preterition in the suposicion de que el hecho o el acto
words of Manresa "anulará siempre la institución de no se ha realizado debiendo; por lo
heredero, dando carácter absoluto a este tanto, procederse sobre tal base o
ordenamiento," referring to the mandate of Article 814, supuesto, y consiguientemente, en un
now 854 of the Civil Code.9 The one- sentence will testamento donde falte la institucion,
here institutes petitioner as the sole, universal heir — es obligado llamar a los herederos
nothing more. No specific legacies or bequests are forzosos en todo caso, como habria
therein provided for. It is in this posture that we say that que llamar a los de otra clase, cuando
the nullity is complete. Perforce, Rosario Nuguid died el testador no hubiese distribuido
intestate. Says Manresa: todos sus bienes en legados, siendo
tanto mas obligada esta
 consecuencia legal cuanto que, en compulsory heir of his share in the legitime for a cause
materia de testamentos, sabido es, authorized by law." 17 In Manresa's own words: "La
segun tiene declarado la privación expresa de la legitima constituye le
jurisprudencia, con repeticion, que no desheredación. La privación tácita de la misma se
basta que seo conocida la voluntad denomina preterición. 18 Sánchez Román emphasizes
de quien testa si esta voluntad no the distinction by stating that disinheritance "es
aparece en la forma y en las siempre voluntaria";preterition, upon the other hand, is
condiciones que la ley ha exigido presumed to be "involuntaria." 19 Express as
para que sea valido y eficaz, por lo disinheritance should be, the same must be supported
que constituiria una interpretacion by a legal cause specified in the will itself. 20
arbitraria, dentro del derecho positivo,
reputar como legatario a un heredero The will here does not explicitly disinherit the
cuya institucion fuese anulada con testatrix's parents, the forced heirs. It simply omits their
pretexto de que esto se acomodaba names altogether. Said will rather than be labeled
mejor a la voluntad del testador, pues ineffective disinheritance is clearly one in which the said
aun cuando asi fuese, sera esto forced heirs suffer from preterition.
razon para modificar la ley, pero que On top of this the fact that the effects flowing
no outoriza a una interpretacion from preterition are totally different from those of
contraria a sus terminos y a los disinheritance. Preterition under Article 854 of the Civil
principios que informan la Code, we repeat, "shall annul the institution of heir."
testamentifaccion, pues no porque This annulment is in toto, unless in the will there are, in
parezca mejor una cosa en el terreno addition, testamentary dispositions in the form of
del Derecho constituyente, hay razon devises or legacies. In ineffective disinheritance under
para convertir este juicio en regla de Article 918 of the same Code, such disinheritance shall
interpretación, desvirtuando y also "annul the institution of heirs," but only "insofar as
anulando por este procedimiento lo it may prejudice the person disinherited," which last
que el legislador quiere phrase was omitted in the case of preterition. 21 Better
establecer." 12 stated yet, in disinheritance the nullity is limited to that
portion of the estate of which the disinherited heirs have
3. We should not be led astray by the
been illegally deprived. Manresa's expressive language,
statement in Article 854 that, annulment
in commenting on the rights of the preterited heirs in the
notwithstanding, "the devises and legacies shall be
case of preterition on the one hand and legal
valid insofar as they are not inofficious." Legacies and
disinheritance on the other, runs thus:
devises merit consideration only when they are so
"Preteridos, adquieren el derecho a todo; deshereda
expressly given as such in a will. Nothing in Article 854
dos, solo les corresponde un tercio o dos
suggests that the mere institution of a universal heir in a
tercios, 22 según el caso." 23
will — void because of preterition — would give the heir
so instituted a share in the inheritance. As to him, the 5. Petitioner insists that the compulsory heirs
will is inexistent. There must be, in addition to such ineffectively disinherited are entitled to receive their
institution, a testamentary disposition granting him legitimes, but that the institution of heir "is not
bequests or legacies apart and separate from the invalidated," although the inheritance of the heir so
nullified institution of heir. Sánchez Román, speaking of instituted is reduced to the extent of said legitimes. 24
the two component parts of Article 814, now 854, states
that preterition annuls the institution of the heir This is best answered by a reference to the
"totalmente por la preterición"; but added (in reference opinion of Mr. Justice Moran in the Neri case heretofore
to legacies and bequests), "pero subsistiendo, . . . cited, viz:
todas aquellas otras disposiciones que no se refieren a
"But the theory is advanced
la institución de heredero . . . " 13 As Manresa puts it,
that the bequest made by universal
annulment throws open to intestate succession the
title in favor of the children by the
entire inheritance including la porción libre (que) no
second marriage should be treated
hubiese dispuesto en virtud de legado, mejora o
as legado and mejora and,
donación." 14
accordingly, it must not be entirely
As aforesaid, there is no other provision in annulled but merely reduced. This
the will before us except the institution of petitioner as theory, if adopted, will result in a
universal heir. That institution, by itself, is null and void. complete abrogation of articles 814
And, intestate succession ensues. and 851 of the Civil Code.If every
case of institution of heirs may be
4. Petitioner's mainstay is that the present is made to fall into the concept of
"a case of ineffective disinheritance rather than one of legacies and betterments reducing
preterition." 15 From this, petitioner draws the the bequest accordingly, then the
conclusion that Article 854 "does not apply to the case provisions of articles 814 and 851
at bar." This argument fails to appreciate the distinction regarding total or partial nullity of the
between preterition and disinheritance. institution, would be absolutely
meaningless and will never have
Preterition "consists in the omission in the
application at all. And the remaining
testator's will of the forced heirs or anyone of them,
provisions contained in said articles
either because they are not mentioned therein, or,
concerning the reduction of inofficious
though mentioned, they are neither instituted as heirs
legacies or betterments would be a
nor are expressly disinherited." 16 Disinheritance, in
surplusage because they would be
turn, "is a testamentary disposition depriving any
absorbed by article 817. Thus,
 instead of construing, we would be
destroying integral provisions of
the Civil Code.

The destructive effect of the

theory thus advanced is due mainly to
a failure to distinguish institution of
heirs from legacies and betterments,
and a general from a special
provision. With reference to Article
814, which is the only provision
material to the disposition of this
case, it must be observed that the
institution of heirs is therein dealt with
a thing separate and distinct from
legacies or betterment. And they are
separate and distinct not only
because they are distinctly and
separately treated in said article but
because they are in themselves
different. Institution of heirs is a
bequest by universal title of property
that is undetermined. Legacy refers to
specific property bequeathed by a
particular or special title. ..But again
an institution of heirs cannot be taken
as a legacy," 25

The disputed order, we observe, declares the

will in question "a complete nullity". Article 854 of
the Civil Code in turn merely nullifies "the institution of
heir." Considering, however, that the will before us
solely provides for the institution of petitioner as
universal heir, and nothing more, the result is the same.
The entire will is null.
Upon the view we take of this case, the order
of November 8, 1963 under review is hereby affirmed.
No costs allowed. So ordered.
Concepcion, C.J.,J.B.L. Reyes, Barrera,
Dizon, Regala, Makalintal, J. P. Bengzon and Zaldivar,
JJ.,concur.
||| (Nuguid v. Nuguid, G.R. No. L-23445, [June 23, 1966],
123 PHIL 1305-1317)