People Vs Cuyugan
People Vs Cuyugan
People Vs Cuyugan
*
G.R. Nos. 14664143. November 18, 2002.
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* SECOND DIVISION.
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QUISUMBING, J.:
1
On appeal is the joint decision dated December 20, 2000, of
the Regional Trial Court of Pasay City, Branch 117, in
Criminal Cases Nos. 957580, 957581 and 957582 for
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“That on or about the 18th day of May 1994, in Pasay City, Metro
Manila, Philippines, and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable
Court the abovenamed accused, Rica G. Cuyugan, defrauded and
deceived private Complainant Norma Abagat in the following
manner to wit: that said accused with intent to defraud and well
knowing that her account with the bank was already closed, did
then and there wilfully, unlawfully and feloniously, make out and
issue to private Complainant the following checks:
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refused and still fails to redeem or make good the said check’s face
value thereof, to the damage and prejudice of the private
Complainant in the total
2
aforesaid amount of P396,000.00.
Contrary to Law.”
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2 Id., at 11.
3 Id., at 13.
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4 Id., at 15.
5 TSN, July 17, 1996, pp. 48.
6 Id., at 9.
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7
funds) or for reason of ACCOUNT CLOSED. He forthwith
informed appellant of the dishonor of the 8checks by sending
her a demand letter on January 12, 1995. Despite repeated
demands, appellant failed to make good the checks, which
constrained the Abagat spouses to file in May 1995 a
complaint for estafa against appellant. It was only then
that they filed the complaint as they gave appellant
9
an
opportunity to settle her obligations to no avail.
On crossexamination, Rodrigo admitted that appellant
is a family friend and is in fact related by affinity to his
wife. He likewise admitted that he received from appellant
the sum
10
of P100,000 applied against the check drawn in his
favor.
NORMA DAVID ABAGAT substantially corroborated
the testimony of her husband. She accompanied her
husband when he met with appellant and witnessed the
exchange of money and checks between them.
On crossexamination Norma admitted that the checks
issued by appellant
11
were mere guarantees for the return of
their money.
The defense presented appellant RICA G. CUYUGAN.
She testified that she is a businesswoman who furnished
the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with office
supplies, construction materials, and signal and
communication spare parts. She had been engaged in this
business since 1977. She affirmed that her husband
12
is the
cousin of private complainant Norma Abagat.
Appellant stated that it was Norma Abagat who
requested that the Abagats participate in the big supply
project for the Philippine Army. The Abagat spouses gave
her P150,000 which represented the P135,000 principal as
partner for that construction project with the Philippine
Army and the 13
remaining P15,000 representing the 10%
profit share. In return, she issued a postdated check
covering
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7 Id., at 2021.
8 Id., at 23.
9 Id., at 2627.
10 TSN, August 14, 1996, pp. 2728.
11 TSN, March 29, 2000, p. 41.
12 TSN, May 19, 2000, p. 5.
13 Id., at 78.
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14 Id., at 11.
15 Id., at 18.
16 Rollo, p. 32.
17 TSN, May 19, 2000, pp. 2223.
18 Rollo, p. 33.
19 TSN, June 28, 2000, pp. 4, 67.
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21 Ibid.
22 Article 315, 2 (d), Revised Penal Code.
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23 See People vs. Molina, et al., 292 SCRA 742, 765 (1998).
24 People vs. Laceste, et al., 293 SCRA 397, 407 (1998).
25 Vallarta vs. Court of Appeals, 150 SCRA 336, 340 (1987).
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26 Rollo, p. 116.
27 Id., at 111.
28 Memorandum for PlaintiffAppellee, Rollo, pp. 114115.
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a crime for which she was not properly charged, for that
would violate appellant’s constitutional 29
right to be
informed of the accusation against her. The purpose of the
constitutional guarantee that a person accused of an
offense be informed of the accusation against him is (a) to
furnish the accused with such a description of the charge
against him as will enable him to make his defense; (b) to
avail himself of his conviction or acquittal, for protection
against a further prosecution for the same cause; and (c) to
inform the court of the facts alleged, so that it may decide
whether they are sufficient
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in law to support a conviction,
if one should be had.
The informations filed with the regional trial court were
for three counts of estafa. Earlier, the informations for BP
22 covering the same checks filed with the Metropolitan
Trial Court of Pasay City, Branch 31
44, were provisionally
dismissed on November 13, 1996. These cases were not re
filed nor consolidated with the informations for estafa
before the RTC of Pasay. Accordingly, appellant was never
apprised of the fact that she may still be held liable for BP
22 and so never had an opportunity to defend herself
against an accusation for an offense under the special law.
BP 22 cannot be deemed necessarily included in the crime
of estafa under RPC, Article 315, 2 (d). The offense of fraud
defined under the Revised Penal Code is malum in se,
whereas BP 22, also known as Bouncing Checks Law, is a
special law which punishes the issuance of bouncing
checks, a malum prohibitum. Fraud or estafa under the
Revised Penal Code is a distinct offense from the violation
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the Court of the action taken hereon within five days from
notice.
SO ORDERED.
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Those obliged to deliver or to do something incur in delay from the time the obligee
judicially or extrajudicially demands from them the fulfillment of their obligation.
xxx
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