Short answer. Usually yes. The Revised Penal Code makes return of the thing itself the first duty arising from the crime, and the item may be recovered even from an innocent third person who bought it in good faith. That buyer is not left helpless — but his remedy runs against whoever sold it to him, not against you.
What the law says
The restitution of the thing itself must be made whenever possible, with allowance for any deterioration or diminution of value as determined by the court. The thing itself shall be restored, even though it be found in the possession of a third person who has acquired it by lawful means, saving to the latter his action against the proper person who may be liable to him.
Revised Penal Code, Article 105 — Restitution Of The Thing. Read the full provision →
Restitution means the thing, not its value
Article 105 of the Revised Penal Code opens with a plain command: The restitution of the thing itself must be made whenever possible, with allowance for any deterioration or diminution of value as determined by the court. The order of preference is what matters. The law does not begin by asking what the item was worth; it asks whether the item can be handed back. Money enters only as a top-up — to cover damage or lost value while the thing was out of your hands — or as a substitute when return has become impossible, because the object was consumed, destroyed, or simply cannot be located.
Good faith does not shield the present holder
This is the part that surprises people. The thing shall be restored, even though it be found in the possession of a third person who has acquired it by lawful means. Buying honestly, paying a fair price, and having no inkling of the theft does not defeat the owner's right to recover. The reason is simple: a thief has nothing to pass on, and no one can transfer ownership he never held. The buyer is not abandoned, but his remedy runs sideways rather than against you — the article expressly saves to the latter his action against the proper person who may be liable to him, ordinarily the person who sold him the item.
The exception written into the article
The provision carries its own limit. It is not applicable in cases in which the thing has been acquired by the third person in the manner and under the requirements which, by law, bar an action for its recovery. Other laws can, in defined situations, close the door on recovery — for instance where a particular kind of possession has run long enough to ripen into full ownership under other rules, or where special rules protect certain classes of purchase. Those situations are narrow and technical, and they are exactly the ones worth taking advice on. The general position stays the same: a stolen thing goes home to its owner.
How this works out in practice
Restitution is dealt with in the criminal case as part of the civil liability arising from the offence, so the person now holding your property may find himself drawn into proceedings he had no hand in starting. Two practical points follow. First, proof of ownership decides everything — official receipts, serial, chassis or engine numbers, registration papers, photographs and repair records are what let a court pick your item out from identical ones. Second, speed counts, because things get resold, repainted or stripped for parts. Report the loss, preserve the identifying documents, and tell the investigators exactly where you believe the item now sits. Whether it is actually recovered turns on the evidence and on where it has ended up.