Subject: Urgent Legal Advice Needed on Land Title Issue

Dear Atty.,

I am seeking your advice regarding a land I purchased in a subdivision while I was living abroad. I fully paid for the land in 2015 and completed all requirements for the titling process, including providing the required Tax Declaration in 2018 and paying ₱60,000 in October 2020, as the developer did not allow me to process the title on my own.

In January 2021, I entered into a verbal agreement to sell the land to a buyer. Since the title was not yet issued in my name, we agreed that:

1. If the title was still unprocessed, the buyer would refund my payments, and we would coordinate with the developer to transfer the title properly.

2. If the title was already processed, the buyer would pay a higher amount since titled land has a higher value.

The buyer prepared a Deed of Sale, which I signed, trusting the buyer’s words about our agreement, including that I would no longer have any responsibility for payments such as HOA and maintenance fees. Since the Deed of Sale used the old TCT, I was waiting for the developer to notify me if my title was processed.

For years, I received no notice from the developer and assumed they had pocketed my titling fee. A lawyer I consulted advised me not to pursue the refund because it was only ₱60,000 and the developer might not refund it easily. Heartbroken, I accepted that I had sold the land at a very low value, lost the money I paid for titling, and just tried to move on.

However, in September 2025, I received a HOA bill with arrears and penalties covering 2022–present. In October 2025, I discovered that the Tax Declaration is under my name and that my title had actually been processed on January 11, 2021—just six days after my sale to the buyer—and released by the Registry of Deeds in September 2021 to the developer. I immediately contacted the developer to prevent the release of my title to anyone, but was informed that it had already been released under a SPA in December 2021. I was totally shocked as I do not recall signing any SPA.

I then learned that the buyer claimed my duplicate original title using the Deed of Sale and a Special Power of Attorney (SPA) that I do not remember signing, but which bears my authentic signature, of which I have no copy. Both documents used the old, canceled title, not the new title issued in my name. I was never notified by the developer about the release of my title in September 2021, and I did not authorize its release to the buyer or any third party.

I believe the developer was negligent in releasing my title because they did not:

1. Scrutinize the SPA or verify that it was valid and accompanied by my ID. The buyer did not even submit a copy of my ID.

2. Double-check whether the title number on the SPA and Deed of Sale matched the original duplicate copy of the new title.

I am still the registered owner of the title and am willing to refund the buyer’s payments, as they also failed to follow our agreement regarding HOA and maintenance fees. I feel deceived and betrayed by both the buyer and the developer.

My questions are:

1. Is it possible to request the Registry of Deeds to reissue the original title to me?

2. Can the absolute Deed of Sale and SPA be declared null and void because they were executed using the old, canceled title?

3. What is the best course of action, and what case should I file to protect my rights as the rightful owner?

I would greatly appreciate your guidance on how to protect my rights and undo the unauthorized transfer of my title.

Thank you very much for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Cris