LOPEZ v.

DURUELO
52 Phil 229
FACTS: On February 10, 1927, plaintiff Augusto Lopez was desirous of embarking upon te
interisland steamer !an "a#into in order to go to $ebu, te plaintiff embarked at te landing in te
motorboat "ison wi# was engaged in #on%eying passengers and luggage ba#k and fort from te
landing to te boats at an#or&
As te motorboat approa#ed !an "a#into in a perfe#tly 'uiet sea, it #ame too near to te stern of
te sip, and as te propeller of te sip ad not yet #eased to turn, te blades of te propeller
stru#k te motorboat and sank it at on#e& As it sank, te plaintiff was trown into te water against
te propeller, and te re%ol%ing blades infli#ted %arious in(uries upon im& )e plaintiff was
ospitalized& *e filed a #omplaint seeking to re#o%er damages from te defendant& )e defendant
owe%er alleged tat te #omplaint does not a%e a rigt of a#tion, a demurrer was submitted
dire#ted to te fa#t tat te #omplaint does not allege tat te protest ad been presented by te
plaintiff, witin twenty+four ours after te o##urren#e to te #ompetent autority at te port were
te a##ident o##urred as pro%ided for Arti#le ,-. of te $ode of $ommer#e&
ISSUE: /eter te motorboat "ison is a %essel pro%ided for by Arti#le ,-. of te $ode of
$ommer#e0
HELD: )e word %essel as used in te tird se#tion of tile 12, 3ook 111 of te $ode of $ommer#e,
dealing wit #ollisions, does not in#lude all sips, #raft or floating stru#tures of any kind witout
limitation& )e said se#tion does not apply to minor #raft engaged in a ri%er and bay traffi#&
)erefore, a passenger on boat like te "ison, is not re'uired to make protest as a #ondition
pre#edent to is rigt of a#tion for te in(ury suffered by im in te #ollision des#ribed in te
#omplaint& Arti#le ,-. of te $ode of $ommer#e does not apply&
G.R. No. L-29166 O!o"#$ 22% 192&
AUGUSTO LOPEZ% 'l(i)!i**-(''#ll()!%
v+.
,UAN DURUELO% ET AL.% -#*#)-()!+.
AL.INO ,ISON% (''#ll##.
Angel S. Gamboa for appellant.
Feria and La O for appellee.

STREET% ,.:
)is a#tion was instituted in te $ourt of First 1nstan#e of O##idental 4egros by Augusto Lopez, for
te purpose of re#o%ering damages for personal in(uries infli#ted upon im by reason of te
negligen#e of te defendants, "uan 5uruelo and Albino "ison& )e defendants demurred to te
#omplaint, and te demurrer a%ing been sustained, te plaintiff ele#ted to stand upon is #omplaint,
wi# was a##ordingly dismissed6 and te plaintiff appealed&
)e fa#ts ne#essary to an understanding of te #ase as set out in te #omplaint are briefly tese7 On
February 10, 1927, te plaintiff, wo is a resident of te muni#ipality of !ilay, O##idental 4egros, was
desirous of embarking upon te interisland steamer !an "a#into in order to go to 1loilo& )is boat
was at te time in te an#oring+ground of te port of !ilay, some alf a mile distant from te port&
)e plaintiff terefore embarked at te landing in te motor boat "ison, wi# was ten engaged in
#on%eying passengers and luggage ba#k and fort from te landing to boats at an#or, and wi#
was owned and operated by te defendant Albino "ison, wit "uan 5uruelo as patron& )e engineer
8ma'uinista9 aboard on tis trip was one :odolin 5uruelo, a boy of only 1; years of age& *e is
alleged to a%e been a mere no%i#e witout e<perien#e in te running of motor boats6 and te day of
te o##urren#e now in #ontemplation is said to a%e been te tird day of is apprenti#esip in tis
#apa#ity& 1t is alleged tat te "ison, upon tis trip, was grossly o%erladen, a%ing aboard fourteen
passengers, wile its #apa#ity was only for eigt or nine& As te motor boat approa#ed te !an
"a#into in a perfe#tly 'uiet sea, it #ame too near to te stern of te sip, and as te propeller of te
sip ad not yet #eased to turn, te blades of te propeller stru#k te motor boat and sank it at on#e&
1t is alleged in te #omplaint tat te approa# of te "ison to tis dangerous pro<imity wit te
propeller of te !an "a#into was due to te fault, negligen#e and la#k of skill of te defendant "uan
5uruelo, as patron of te "ison& As te "ison sank, te plaintiff was trown into te water against te
propeller, and te re%ol%ing blades infli#ted %arious in(uries upon im, #onsisting of a bruise in te
breast, two serious fra#tures of te bones of te left leg, and a #ompound fra#ture of te left femur&
As a #onse'uen#e of tese in(uries te plaintiff was kept in bed in a ospital in te $ity of =anila
from te 2,t of February until O#tober 19 of te year 1927, or appro<imately eigt monts& 1n te
#on#lusion of is #omplaint te plaintiff sets out te %arious items of damage wi# e suffered,
amounting in all to someting more tan >120,000& )ese damages e seeks to re#o%er of te
defendants in tis a#tion&
As a general ground of demurrer it is assigned by te defendants tat te #omplaint does not sow a
rigt of a#tion, and in te #ourse of te argument submitted wit te demurrer attention is dire#ted to
te fa#t tat te #omplaint does not allege tat a protest ad been presented by te plaintiff, witin
twenty+four ours after te o##urren#e, to te #ompetent autority at te port were te a##ident
o##ured& 1t is a##ordingly insisted tat, under arti#le ,-. of te $ode of $ommer#e, te plaintiff as
sown no #ause of a#tion&
Assuming tat te arti#le of te $ode of $ommer#e relied upon states a #ondition pre#edent to te
maintenan#e of an a#tion in #ase were protest is re'uired and tat te making of protest must be
alleged in te #omplaint in order to sow a good #ause of a#tion ? an assumption tat is possibly
witout basis, for te reason tat la#k of protest in a #ase were protest is ne#essary would seem to
supply matter of defense proper to be set up in te answer, ? we ne%erteless are of te opinion
tat protest was not ne#essary in te #ase now before us& )e arti#le in 'uestion 8,-., $ode of
$om&9 is found in te se#tion dealing wit #ollisions, and te #onte<t sows te #ollisions intended
are #ollisions of sea+going %essels& !aid arti#le #annot be applied to small boats engaged in ri%er
and bay traffi#& )e )ird 3ook of te $ode of $ommer#e, dealing wit =aritime $ommer#e, of
wi# te se#tion of $ollisions forms a part, was e%idently intended to define te law relati%e to
me#ant %essels and marine sipping6 and, as appears from said $ode, te %essels intended in tat
3ook are su# as are run by masters a%ing spe#ial training, wit te elaborate apparatus of #rew
and e'uipment indi#ated in te $ode& )e word @%essel@ 8!panis @bu'ue,@ @na%e@9, used in te
se#tion referred to was not intended to in#lude all sips, #raft or floating stru#tures of e%ery kind
witout limitation, and te pro%isions of tat se#tion sould not be eld to in#lude minor #raft
engaged only in ri%er and bay traffi#& 2essels wi# are li#ensed to engage in maritime #ommer#e,
or #ommer#e by sea, weter in foreign or #oastwise trade, are no doubt regulated by 3ook 111 of te
$ode of $ommer#e& Oter %essels of a minor nature not engaged in maritime #ommer#e, su# as
ri%er boats and tose #arrying passengers from sip to sore, must be go%erned, as to teir liability
to passengers, by te pro%isions of te $i%il $ode or oter appropriate spe#ial pro%isions of law&
)is #on#lusion is substantiated by te writer Astasen wo makes #omment upon te word @%essel@
to te following effe#t7
/en te mer#antile #odes speak of %essels, tey refer solely and e<#lusi%ely to mer#ant sips, as
tey do not in#lude war sips furtermore, tey almost always refer to #raft wi# are not a##essory
to anoter as is te #ase of laun#es, lifeboats, et#& =oreo%er, te mer#antile laws, in making use of
te words sip, %essels, boat, embarkation, et#&, refer e<#lusi%ely to tose wi# are engaged in te
transportation of passengers and freigt from one port to anoter or from one pla#e to anoter6 in a
word, tey refer to mer#ant %essels and in no way #an tey or sould tey be understood as
referring to pleasure #raft, ya#ts, pontoons, ealt ser%i#e and arbor poli#e %essels, floating
storeouses, warsips or patrol %essels, #oast guard %essels, fising %essels, towboats, and oter
#raft destined to oter uses, su# as for instan#e #oast and geodeti# sur%ey, tose engaged in
s#ientifi# resear# and e<ploration, #raft engaged in te loading and dis#arge of %essels from same
to sore or do#ks, or in transipment and tose small #raft wi# in arbors, along sore, bays,
inlets, #o%es and an#orages are engaged in transporting passengers and baggage& 8Astasen, 5er&
=er&, %ol 12, p& 19.&9
1n Bu $on %s& 1pil 8C1 >il&, 7709, tis #ourt eld tat a small %essel used for te transportation of
mer#andise by sea and for te making of %oyages from one port to anoter of tese 1slands,
e'uipped and %i#tualed for tis purpose by its owner, is a %essel, witin te pur%iew of te $ode of
$ommer#e, for te determination of te #ara#ter and effe#t of te relations #reated between te
owners of te mer#andise laden on it and its owner& 1n te #ase before us te "ison, as we are
informed in te #omplaint, was propelled by a se#ond+and motor, originally used for a tra#tor plow6
and it ad a #apa#ity for only eigt persons& )e use to wi# it was being put was te #arrying of
passengers and luggage between te landing at !ilay and sips in te arbor& )is was not su# a
boat as is #ontemplated in arti#le ,-. of te $ode of $ommer#e, re'uiring protest in #ase of
#ollision&
1n Bu $on %s& 1pil, supra, te autor of te opinion 'uotes a passage from te treaties on =er#antile
Law by 3lan#o& /e now a%e before us te latest edition of 3lan#o, and we reprodu#ed ere, in bot
!panis and Anglis, not only te passage tus 'uoted but also te senten#e immediately following
said passage6 and tis latter part of te 'uotation is 'uite pertinent to te point now under
#onsideration&
!ays 3lan#o7
Las palabras @na%e@ y @bu'ue@, en su sentido gramati#al se apli#an para designar #ual'uier #lase de
embar#a#iones, grandes o pe'uenas, mer#antes o de guerra, signifi#a#ion 'ue no difiere
esen#ialmente de la (uridi#a, #on arreglo a la #ual se #onsideran bu'ues para los efe#tos del $odigo
y del :eglamento para la organiza#ion del :egistro men#antile, no solo las embar#a#iones
destinadas a la na%ega#ion de #abo ta(e o altura, sino tambien los di'ues flotantes, pontones,
dragas, ganguiles y #ual'uier otro aparato flotante destinado a ser%i#ios de la industria o del
#omer#io maritimo& @Aun #uando, #orforme a este #on#epto legal, pare#e 'ue todo aparato flotante
'ue sir%e dire#tamente para el trasporte de #osas o personas, o 'ue indere#tamente se rela#ionen
#on esta industria, an de su(ertarse a los pre#eptos del $odigo sobre propiedad, transmision,
dere#os, ins#rip#iones, et#&, entendemos #on el !r& 3enito 8obra #it&9 y asi o#urre en la pra#ti#a,
'ue no son apli#ables a las pe'ueDas embar#a#iones, 'ue solo estan su(etas a los de la
administra#ion de marina para el ser%i#io de los puertos o e(er#i#io de la industria de la pes#a&
83lan#o, 5er& =er&, %ol& 11, pag& 22&9
)e words @sip@ 8na%e9 and @%essel@ 8bu'ue9, in teir grammati#al sense, are applied to designate
e%ery kind of #raft, large or small, mer#ant %essels or war %essels, a signifi#ation wi# does not
differ essentially from its (uridi#al meaning, a##ording to wi# %essels for te purposes of te $ode
and :egulations for te organization of te =er#antile :egistry, are #onsidered not only tose
engaged in na%igation, weter #oastwise or on te ig seas, but also floating do#ks, pantoons,
dredges, s#ows and any oter floating apparatus destined for te ser%i#e of te industry or maritime
#ommer#e&
Bet notwitstanding tese prin#iples from wi# it would seem tat any
floating apparatus wi# ser%es dire#tly for te transportation of tings or persons or wi#
indere#tly is related to tis industry, ougt to be sub(e#ted to te prin#iples of te $ode wit
referen#e to ownersip, transfer, rigts, registration, et#&, we agre wit 3enito 8obra #it&9 and it so
appens in pra#ti#e tat tey are not apli#able to small wi# are sub(e#t to administrati%e 8#ustoms9
regulations in te matter of port ser%i#e and in te fising industry&1awpEl&net
/e may add tat te word @na%e@ in !panis, wi# is used inter#angeably wit @bu'ue@ in te
$ode of $ommer#e, means, a##ording to te !panis+Anglis 5i#tionary #omplied by Adward :&
3ensley and publised at >aris in te year 1,9;, @!ip, a %essel wit de#ks and sails&@ >arti#ularly
signifi#ant in tis definition is te use of te word @de#ks@ sin#e a de#k is not a feature of te smallest
types of water #raft&
1n tis #onne#tion a most instru#ti%e #ase from a Federal $ourt in te Fnited !tates is tat of te
=amie 8. Fed&, ,1-9, werein it was eld tat only %essels engaged in wat is ordinarily known as
maritime #ommer#e are witin te pro%isions of law #onferring limited liability on te owner in #ase
maritime disaster& 1n te #ourse of te opinion in tat #ase te autor #ites te analogous pro%isions
in te laws of foreign maritime, nations, espe#ially te pro%isions of te $ommer#ial $ode of Fran#e6
and it is obser%ed tat te word @%essel@ in tese #odes is limited to sips and oter sea+going
%essels& @1ts pro%isions are not appli#able,@ said te #ourt, @to %essels in inland na%igation, wi# are
espe#ially designated by te name of boats&@ Guoting from te Fren# autor 5ufour 81 5roit =er&,
1219, te writer of te opinion in te #ase #ited furter says7 @)us, as a general rule, it appears to
me #learly, bot by te letter and spirit of te law, tat te pro%isions of te !e#ond 3ook of te
$ommer#ial $ode HFren#I relate e<#lusi%ely to maritime and not to flu%ial na%igation6 and tat
#onse'uently te word JsipJ wen it is found in tese pro%isions, ougt to be understand in te
sense of a %essel ser%ing te purpose of maritime na%igation of seagoing %essel, and not in te
sense of a %essel de%oted to te na%igation of ri%ers&@
1t is terefore #lear tat a passenger on a boat like te "ison, in te #ase before us, is not re'uired to
make protest as a #ondition pre#edent to is rigt of a#tion for te in(ury suffered by im in te
#ollision des#ribed in te #omplaint& 1n oter words, arti#le ,-. of te $ode of $ommer#e does not
apply& 3ut e%en if said pro%ision ad been #onsidered appli#able to te #ase in and, a fair
interpretation of te allegations of te #omplaint indi#ates, we tink, tat te in(uries suffered by te
plaintiff in tis #ase were of su# a nature as to e<#use protest6 for, under arti#le ,-;, it is pro%ided
tat want to protest #annot pre(udi#e a person not in a #ondition to make known is wises& An
indi%idual wo as suffered a #ompound fra#ture of te femur and re#ei%ed oter pysi#al in(uries
suffi#ient to keep im in a ospital for may monts, #annot be supposed to a%e in a #ondition to
make protest witin twenty+four ours of su# o##urren#e& 1t follows tat te demurrer in tis #ase
was not well taken and sould a%e been o%erruled&
1n teir brief in tis #ourt te attorneys for te defendant a%e #riti#ised te #omplaint for a general
la#k of #ertainty and pre#ision in more tan one respe#t& *owe%er, we a%e read te do#ument
attenti%ely and, in our opinion, it states a good #ause of a#tion upon a #i%il liability arising from tort
under arti#les 1902 and 190- of te $i%il $ode, and our attention as not been drawn to any
pro%ision of law wi# would #onstitute an obsta#le to te maintenan#e of te a#tion&
/e a%e repeatedly #alled te attention of trial #ourts to te general rule tat a #ase sould not be
dismissed on demurrer wen, under any reasonable interpretation of te #omplaint, a #ause of
a#tion #an be made out6 and te fa#t tat a #omplaint is inartifi#ially drawn or in a #ertain degree
la#king in pre#ision #onstitutes no suffi#ient reason for dismissing it& 1n passing upon a demurrer,
e%ery reasonable intendment is to be taken in fa%or of te pleader& 1n tis #onne#tion it sould be
borne in mind tat if a #omplaint does not sow a good #ause of a#tion, te a#tion #an be dismissed
at a later stage of te pro#eedings6 and e%en were no ob(e#tion as been pre%iously made, te
point #an be raised in te !upreme $ourt under se#tion 9- of te $ode of $i%il >ro#edure 8Abiera
%s& Orin, , >il&, 19-9& Little or no appre#iable pre(udi#e to te defendant will terefore ordinarily
result from o%erruling a demurrer, and no arm is done to anyone by re'uiring te defendant to
answer& On te #ontrary, gra%e pre(udi#e may result to a plaintiff from te erroneous sustaining of a
demurrer, be#ause of te delay and e%en e<pense ne#essary to set te matter rigt upon appeal&
)e (udgment appealed from is re%ersed, te demurrer o%erruled, and te defendant is re'uired to
answer te #omplaint witin fi%e days after notifi#ation of te return of tis de#ision to te #ourt of
origin& !o ordered, wit #osts against te appellee&
"onson, =al#olm, 2illamor and :omualdez, ""&, #on#ur&
Ostrand, "&, #on#urs in te result&