Short answer. Yes. Rule 70, Section 1 names a vendee, among others such as a lessor or vendor, as someone who may bring an ejectment action when possession of land or a building is unlawfully withheld after the right to hold it expires. As the buyer, you fall within that list.
What the law says
a lessor, vendor, vendee, or other person against whom the possession of any land or building is unlawfully withheld after the expiration or termination of the right to hold possession, by virtue of any contract, express or implied
Rule 70, Section 1 — Who may institute proceedings, and when. Read the full provision →
What the law says
may, at any time within one year after such unlawful deprivation or withholding of possession, bring an action in the proper Municipal Trial Court against the person or persons unlawfully withholding or depriving of possession, or any person or persons claiming under them, for the restitution of such possession, together with damages and costs.
Rule 70, Section 1 — Who may institute proceedings, and when. Read the full provision →
What the law says
a person deprived of the possession of any land or building by force, intimidation, threat, strategy, or stealth
Rule 70, Section 1 — Who may institute proceedings, and when. Read the full provision →
Vendee is one of the parties Section 1 names directly
Section 1 lists specific categories of people entitled to bring this kind of action, and buyer is among them: a lessor, vendor, vendee, or other person against whom the possession of any land or building is unlawfully withheld after the expiration or termination of the right to hold possession, by virtue of any contract, express or implied. As the buyer, or vendee, of the property, you fall squarely within that list, not outside it.
The trigger: possession withheld after the right to hold it ends
The occupant's right to remain on the property has to have expired or terminated for this ground to apply. If the person occupying the property had some contractual basis to be there, express or implied, and that basis ended with the sale, their continued occupation after that point is what Section 1 treats as unlawfully withheld possession against you as the new owner.
This reaches beyond the landlord-tenant relationship
Section 1 also covers a different category entirely: a person deprived of the possession of any land or building by force, intimidation, threat, strategy, or stealth. That shows the rule was never limited to lessors and lessees. Vendors and vendees are named in the very same sentence as lessors, which is why a buyer stands on the same footing as a landlord for purposes of bringing this action.
The one-year window and where to file
Section 1 also sets the procedural frame you would be working within: you may, at any time within one year after such unlawful deprivation or withholding of possession, bring an action in the proper Municipal Trial Court against the person or persons unlawfully withholding or depriving of possession, or any person or persons claiming under them, for the restitution of such possession, together with damages and costs. As the vendee, that same one-year window and venue apply to your case.
Cases citing this provision
These Supreme Court decisions cite the provision above. We list them so you can read them yourself; the summaries of what each decided are not ours to give.
- Poh Toh Buddhist Association of the Philippines, Inc. v. Sy, G.R. No. 272396, April 15, 2026 (Zalameda, J.) — ownership alone is not determinative of the right of possession; even a registered owner must prove every element of unlawful detainer, and a corporation’s incumbent board is presumed to retain authority to sue during a leadership dispute. Read our note →