Digest.ph

This case involves a dispute between Gonzalo Puyat & Sons, Inc. (petitioner) and Ruben Alcalde (respondent), who represents the farmer beneficiaries. The petitioner owns a property that was subject to the government's agrarian reform program. The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) issued a notice of coverage and a notice of land valuation and acquisition for a portion of the petitioner's property. The petitioner filed a petition with the DAR, arguing that the property was bought in good faith and should be exempt from the agrarian reform program. The DAR Secretary issued an order dismissing the petition and declaring the property as agricultural land. The petitioner failed to file a timely motion for reconsideration, and the order became final and executory. The Office of the President (OP) later set aside the DAR Secretary's order and lifted the notice of coverage and notice of acquisition. The respondent filed a petition for relief, seeking to reinstate the DAR Secretary's order. The OP dismissed the petition, and the respondent appealed to the Court of Appeals (CA). The CA granted the petition and set aside the OP's decision. The petitioner appealed to the Supreme Court.

The finality of a decision is a fundamental principle of public policy and sound practice. Once a decision becomes final and executory, it becomes the law of the case, and no court, including the Supreme Court, has the power to revise, review, change, or alter it.