[Republic Act No. 10142; Chapter I; Chapter II; Chapter III; Chapter IV; Chapter V; Chapter VI; Chapter VII; Chapter VIII; Chapter IX; Chapter X; See also Introduction to Insolvency in the Philippines]

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CHAPTER VI

INSOLVENCY OF INDIVIDUAL DEBTORS

(A) Suspension of Payments.

SEC. 94. Petition. — An individual debtor who, possessing sufficient property to cover all his debts but foreseeing the impossibility of meeting them when they respectively fall due, may file a verified petition that he be declared in the state of suspension of payments by the court of the province or city in which he has resided for six (6) months prior to the filing of his petition. He shall attach to his petition, as a minimum: (a) a schedule of debts and liabilities; (b) an inventory of assets; and (c) a proposed agreement with his creditors.

SEC. 95. Action on the Petition. — If the court finds the petition sufficient in form and substance, it shall, within five (5) working days from the filing of the petition, issue an Order:

(a) calling a meeting of all the creditors named in the schedule of debts and liabilities at such time not less than fifteen (15) days nor more than forty (40) days from the date of such Order and designating the date, time and place of the meeting;

(b) directing such creditors to prepare and present written evidence of their claims before the scheduled creditors’ meeting;

(c) directing the publication of the said order in a newspaper of general circulation published in the province or city in which the petition is filed once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks, with the first publication to be made within seven (7) days from the time of the issuance of the Order;

(d) directing the clerk of court to cause the sending of a copy of the Order by registered mail, postage prepaid, to all creditors named in the schedule of debts and liabilities;

(e) forbidding the individual debtor from selling, transferring, encumbering or disposing in any manner of his property, except those used in the ordinary operations of commerce or of industry in which the petitioning individual debtor is engaged, so long as the proceedings relative to the suspension of payments are pending;

(f) prohibiting the individual debtor from making any payment outside of the necessary or legitimate expenses of his business or industry, so long as the proceedings relative to the suspension of payments are pending; and

(g) appointing a commissioner to preside over the creditors’ meeting.

SEC. 96. Actions Suspended. — Upon motion filed by the individual debtor, the court may issue an order suspending any pending execution against the individual debtor: Provided, that properties held as security by secured creditors shall not be the subject of such suspension order. The suspension order shall lapse when three (3) months shall have passed without the proposed agreement being accepted by the creditors or as soon as such agreement is denied.

No creditor shall sue or institute proceedings to collect his claim from the debtor from the time of the filing of the petition for suspension of payments and for as long as proceedings remain pending except:

(a) those creditors having claims for personal labor, maintenance, expense of last illness and funeral of the wife or children of the debtor incurred in the sixty (60) days immediately prior to the filing of the petition; and

(b) secured creditors.

SEC. 97. Creditors’ Meeting. — The presence of creditors holding claims amounting to at least three-fifths (3/5) of the liabilities shall be necessary for holding a meeting. The commissioner appointed by the court shall preside over the meeting and the clerk of court shall act as the secretary thereof, subject to the following rules:

(a) The clerk shall record the creditors present and amount of their respective claims;

(b) The commissioner shall examine the written evidence of the claims. If the creditors present hold at least three-fifths (3/5) of the liabilities of the individual debtor, the commissioner shall declare the meeting open for business;

(c) The creditors and individual debtor shall discuss the propositions in the proposed agreement and put them to a vote;

(d) To form a majority, it is necessary:

(1) that two-thirds (2/3) of the creditors voting unite upon the same proposition; and

(2) that the claims represented by said majority vote amount to at least three-fifths (3/5) of the total liabilities of the debtor mentioned in the petition; and

(e) After the result of the voting has been announced, all protests made against the majority vote shall be drawn up, and the commissioner and the individual debtor together with all creditors taking part in the voting shall sign the affirmed propositions.

No creditor who incurred his credit within ninety (90) days prior to the filing of the petition shall be entitled to vote.

SEC. 98. Persons Who May Refrain from Voting. — Creditors who are unaffected by the Suspension Order may refrain from attending the meeting and from voting therein. Such persons shall not be bound by any agreement determined upon at such meeting, but if they should join in the voting they shall be bound in the same manner as are the other creditors.

SEC. 99. Rejection of the Proposed Agreement. — The proposed agreement shall be deemed rejected if the number of creditors required for holding a meeting do not attend thereat, or if the two (2) majorities mentioned in Section 97 hereof are not in favor thereof. In such instances, the proceeding shall be terminated without recourse and the parties concerned shall be at liberty to enforce the rights which may correspond to them.

SEC. 100. Objections. — If the proposal of the individual debtor, or any amendment thereof made during the creditors’ meeting, is approved by the majority of creditors in accordance with Section 97 hereof, any creditor who attended the meeting and who dissented from and protested against the vote of the majority may file an objection with the court within ten (10) days from the date of the last creditors’ meeting. The causes for which objection may be made to the decision made by the majority during the meeting shall be: (a) defects in the call for the meeting, in the holding thereof, and in the deliberations had thereat which prejudice the rights of the creditors; (b) fraudulent connivance between one or more creditors and the individual debtor to vote in favor of the proposed agreement; or (c) fraudulent conveyance of claims for the purpose of obtaining a majority. The court shall hear and pass upon such objection as soon as possible and in a summary manner.

In case the decision of the majority of creditors to approve the individual debtor’s proposal or any amendment thereof made during the creditors’ meeting is annulled by the court, the court shall declare the proceedings terminated and the creditors shall be at liberty to exercise the rights which may correspond to them.

SEC. 101. Effects of Approval of Proposed Agreement. — If the decision of the majority of the creditors to approve the proposed agreement or any amendment thereof made during the creditors’ meeting is upheld by the court, or when no opposition or objection to said decision has been presented, the court shall order that the agreement be carried out and all parties bound thereby to comply with its terms.

The court may also issue all orders which may be necessary or proper to enforce the agreement on motion of any affected party. The Order confirming the approval of the proposed agreement on any amendment thereof made during the creditors’ meeting shall be binding upon all creditors whose claims are included in the schedule of debts and liabilities submitted by the individual debtor and who were properly summoned, but not upon: (a) those creditors having claims for personal labor, maintenance, expenses of last illness and funeral of the wife or children of the debtor incurred in the sixty (60) days immediately prior to the filing of the petition, and (b) secured creditors who failed to attend the meeting on refrained from voting therein.

SEC. 102. Failure of Individual Debtor to Perform Agreement. — If the individual debtor fails, wholly or in part, to perform the agreement decided upon at the meeting of the creditors, all the rights which the creditors had against the individual debtor before the agreement shall revest in them. In such case the individual debtor may be made subject to the insolvency proceedings in the manner established by this Act.

(B) Voluntary Liquidation.

SEC. 103. Application. — An individual debtor whose properties are not sufficient to cover his liabilities, and owing debts exceeding Five hundred thousand pesos (Php500,000.00), may apply to be discharged from his debts and liabilities by filing a verified petition with the court of the province or city in which he has resided for six (6) months prior to the filing of such petition. He shall attach to his petition a schedule of debts and liabilities and an inventory of assets. The filing of such petition shall be an act of insolvency.

SEC. 104. Liquidation Order. — If the court finds the petition sufficient in form and substance, it shall, within five (5) working days, issue the Liquidation Order mentioned in Section 112 hereof.

(C) Involuntary Liquidation.

SEC. 105. Petition; Acts of Insolvency. — Any creditor or group of creditors with a claim of, or with claims aggregating, at least Five hundred thousand pesos (Php500,000.00) may file a verified petition for liquidation with the court of the province or city in which the individual debtor resides.

The following shall be considered acts of insolvency, and the petition for liquidation shall set forth or allege at least one of such acts:

(a) That such person is about to depart or has departed from the Republic of the Philippines, with intent to defraud his creditors;

(b) That being absent from the Republic of the Philippines, with intent to defraud his creditors, he remains absent;

(c) That he conceals himself to avoid the service of legal process for the purpose of hindering or delaying the liquidation or of defrauding his creditors;

(d) That he conceals, or is removing, any of his property to avoid its being attached or taken on legal process;

(e) That he has suffered his property to remain under attachment or legal process for three (3) days for the purpose of hindering or delaying the liquidation or of defrauding his creditors;

(f) That he has confessed or offered to allow judgment in favor of any creditor or claimant for the purpose of hindering or delaying the liquidation or of defrauding any creditor or claimant;

(g) That he has willfully suffered judgment to be taken against him by default for the purpose of hindering or delaying the liquidation or of defrauding his creditors;

(h) That he has suffered or procured his property to be taken on legal process with intent to give a preference to one or more of his creditors and thereby hinder or delay the liquidation or defraud any one of his creditors;

(i) That he has made any assignment, gift, sale, conveyance or transfer of his estate, property, rights or credits with intent to hinder or delay the liquidation or defraud his creditors;

(j) That he has, in contemplation of insolvency, made any payment, gift, grant, sale, conveyance or transfer of his estate, property, rights or credits;

(k) That being a merchant or tradesman, he has generally defaulted in the payment of his current obligations for a period of thirty (30) days;

(l) That for a period of thirty (30) days, he has failed, after demand, to pay any moneys deposited with him or received by him in a fiduciary capacity; and

(m) That an execution having been issued against him on final judgment for money, he shall have been found to be without sufficient property subject to execution to satisfy the judgment.

The petitioning creditor/s shall post a bond in such sum as the court shall direct, conditioned that if the petition for liquidation is dismissed by the court, or withdrawn by the petitioner, or if the debtor shall not be declared an insolvent, the petitioners will pay to the debtor all costs, expenses, damages occasioned by the proceedings, and attorney’s fees.

SEC. 106. Order to Individual Debtor to Show Cause. — Upon the filing of such creditors’ petition, the court shall issue an Order requiring the individual debtor to show cause, at a time and place to be fixed by the said court, why he should not be adjudged an insolvent. Upon good cause shown, the court may issue an Order forbidding the individual debtor from making payments of any of his debts, and transferring any property belonging to him. However, nothing contained herein shall affect or impair the rights of a secured creditor to enforce his lien in accordance with its terms.

SEC. 107. Default. — If the individual debtor shall default or if, after trial, the issues are found in favor of the petitioning creditors, the court shall issue the Liquidation Order mentioned in Section 112 hereof.

SEC. 108. Absent Individual Debtor. — In all cases where the individual debtor resides out of the Republic of the Philippines; or has departed therefrom; or cannot, after due diligence, be found therein; or conceals himself to avoid service of the Order to show cause, or any other preliminary process or orders in the matter, then the petitioning creditors, upon submitting the affidavits requisite to procure an Order of publication, and presenting a bond in double the amount of the aggregate sum of their claims against the individual debtor, shall be entitled to an Order of the court directing the sheriff of the province or city in which the matter is pending to take into his custody a sufficient amount of property of the individual debtor to satisfy the demands of the petitioning creditors and the costs of the proceedings. Upon receiving such Order of the court to take into custody property of the individual debtor, it shall be the duty of the sheriff to take possession of the property and effects of the individual debtor, not exempt from execution, to an extent sufficient to cover the amount provided for, and to prepare, within three (3) days from the time of taking such possession, a complete inventory of all the property so taken, and to return it to the court as soon as completed. The time for taking the inventory and making return thereof may be extended for good cause shown to the court. The sheriff shall also prepare a schedule of the names and residences of the creditors, and the amount due each, from the books of the debtor, or from such other papers or data of the individual debtor available as may come to his possession, and shall file such schedule or list of creditors and inventory with the clerk of court.

SEC. 109. All Property Taken to be Held for All Creditors; Appeal Bonds; Exceptions to Sureties. — In all cases where property is taken into custody by the sheriff, if it does not embrace all the property and effects of the debtor not exempt from execution, any other creditor or creditors of the individual debtor, upon giving bond to be approved by the court in double the amount of their claims, singly or jointly, shall be entitled to similar orders and to like action, by the sheriff, until all claims be provided for, if there be sufficient property or effects. All property taken into custody by the sheriff by virtue of the giving of any such bonds shall be held by him for the benefit of all creditors of the individual debtor whose claims shall be duly proved as provided in this Act. The bonds provided for in this section and the preceding section to procure the order for custody of the property and effects of the individual debtor shall be conditioned that if, upon final hearing of the petition in insolvency, the court shall find in favor of the petitioners, such bonds and all of them shall be void; if the decision be in favor of the individual debtor, the proceedings shall be dismissed, and the individual debtor, his heirs, administrators, executors or assigns shall be entitled to recover such sum of money as shall be sufficient to cover the damages sustained by him, not to exceed the amount of the respective bonds. Such damages shall be fixed and allowed by the court. If either the petitioners or the debtor shall appeal from the decision of the court, upon final hearing of the petition, the appellant shall be required to give bond to the successful party in a sum double the amount of the value of the property in controversy, and for the costs of the proceedings.

Any person interested in the estate may take exception to the sufficiency of the sureties on such bond or bonds. When excepted to, the petitioner’s sureties, upon notice to the person excepting of not less than two (2) nor more than five (5) days, must justify as to their sufficiency; and upon failure to justify, or if others in their place fail to justify at the time and place appointed, the judge shall issue an Order vacating the order to take the property of the individual debtor into the custody of the sheriff, or denying the appeal, as the case may be.

SEC. 110. Sale Under Execution. — If, in any case, proper affidavits and bonds are presented to the court or a judge thereof, asking for and obtaining an Order of publication and an Order for the custody of the property of the individual debtor and thereafter the petitioners shall make it appear satisfactorily to the court or a judge thereof that the interest of the parties to the proceedings will be subserved by a sale thereof, the court may order such property to be sold in the same manner as property is sold under execution, the proceeds to be deposited in the court to abide by the result of the proceedings.