SECOND DIVISION

[G.R. No. 133325. June 30, 2000.]

FELIPA B. CUEME , petitioner, vs . PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES ,

respondent.

Fernando T. Chua for petitioner.

The Solicitor General for respondent.

SYNOPSIS

Petitioner was charged with 15 counts of violations of Batas Pambansa Blg. 22. Petitioner
pleaded not guilty and interposed the defense that those checks were issued not for value
but merely intended to be shown to prospective investors of her corporation. Helen
Simolde, complainant, testified that the checks were issued by petitioner representing the
amount of loans she extended to her and which were dishonored by the bank for
insufficiency of funds. Helen demanded payment but petitioner failed to pay. The trial court
accorded full faith on the credibility of complainant and rendered judgments of conviction,
hence, this recourse assailing the factual findings of the trial court.
Where the issue is credibility of witnesses, the appellate court will not generally disturb the
findings of the lower court that the gravamen of the offense punished under B.P. Blg. 22 is
the act of making or issuing worthless checks that is dishonored upon presentment; and
that the defenses of good faith and absence of criminal intent were unavailing.

SYLLABUS

1. CRIMINAL LAW; B.P. BLG. 22; HOW COMMITTED. There are two (2) ways of
violating B.P. Blg. 22: (a) by making or drawing and issuing a check to apply on account or
for value knowing at the time of issue that the check is not sufficiently funded; and, (b) by
having sufficient funds in or credit with the drawee bank but failing to keep sufficient funds
or to maintain a credit to cover the full amount of the check when presented to the drawee
bank within a period of ninety (90) days.
2. REMEDIAL LAW; EVIDENCE; CREDIBILITY OF WITNESSES; FACTUAL FINDINGS OF
TRIAL COURT, GENERALLY NOT DISTURBED ON APPEAL. Whether petitioner indeed
issued the disputed checks to complainant in payment of outstanding obligations, or
whether it was complainant who procured the checks from petitioner's secretary only to
be shown to potential investors is a factual question involving as it does the credibility of
witnesses. It is well-settled that where the issue is the credibility of witnesses the
appellate court will not generally disturb the findings of the lower court considering that it
is in a better position to settle that issue. Verily, the trial court has the advantage of hearing
the witnesses and observing their conduct during the trial, which circumstances carry
great weight in assessing their credibility. We see no reason to overturn the decisions of
the trial court and the Court of Appeals in giving credence to the testimony of complainant.
The testimony of a lone witness when credible and trustworthy, as in this case, is sufficient
to convict.
CD Technologies Asia, Inc. 2016 cdasiaonline.com
 3. CRIMINAL LAW; B.P. BLG. 22; ACT OF MAKING OR ISSUING WORTHLESS CHECKS,
GRAVAMEN OF OFFENSE. The gravamen of the offense punished under B.P. Blg. 22 is
the act of making or issuing a worthless check or a check that is dishonored upon its
presentment for payment. The law has made the mere act of issuing a bad check malum
prohibitum, an act proscribed by the legislature for being deemed pernicious and inimical
to public welfare. Considering the rule in mala prohibita cases, the only inquiry is whether
the law has been breached. Criminal intent becomes unnecessary where the acts are
prohibited for reasons of public policy, and the defenses of good faith and absence of
criminal intent are unavailing.
4. ID.; ID.; ID.; PURPOSE OF ISSUANCE OF CHECK, IMMATERIAL; REASON. The
checks issued, even assuming they were not intended to be encashed or deposited in a
bank, produce the same effect as ordinary checks. What the law punishes is the issuance
of a rubber check itself and not the purpose for which the check was issued nor the terms
and conditions relating to its issuance. This is not without good reasons. To determine the
purpose as well as the terms and conditions for which checks are issued will greatly erode
the faith the public reposes in the stability and commercial value of checks as currency
substitutes, and bring about havoc in the trading and banking communities. Besides, the
law does not make any distinction as to the kind of checks which are the subject of its
provisions, hence, no such distinction can be made by means of interpretation or
application. What is important is the fact that petitioner deliberately issued the checks in
question and those checks were dishonored upon presentment for payment.
5. ID.; ID.; ID.; DISHONOR OF CHECK RAISES PRESUMPTION OF KNOWLEDGE OF
INSUFFICIENCY OF FUNDS. A maker's knowledge is presumed from the dishonor of his
check for insufficiency of funds. Once proved that the maker or drawer had knowledge of
the insufficiency of his funds or credit, which is also an important element for the offense
to exist, he is rendered ipso facto liable.
ADCEaH

6. ID.; ID.; PENALTY; IMPOSITION OF FINE. Section 1 of B.P. Blg. 22 specifically

provides that the fine to be imposed on the offender shall be "not less than but not more
than double the amount of the check, which fine shall in no case exceed Two Hundred
Thousand Pesos (P200,000.00)." Thus, petitioner should be made to pay only the
maximum of P200,000.00 fine in Crim. Case No. 92-5616, and not P220,000.00 as fixed by
the trial court.

DECISION

BELLOSILLO , J : p

FELIPA B. CUEME assails in this petition for review the Decision of the Court of Appeals
promulgated 22 October 1997 which affirmed the decision of the trial court finding her
guilty of fifteen (15) violations of Batas Pambansa Blg. 22 (Bouncing Checks Law),
sentencing her to six (6) months imprisonment and fine for each violation, and ordering her
to pay the complaining witness the face value of the dishonored checks with legal interest.
1

Helen Simolde was a bank teller of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), Makati Branch.
2 One of the bank's clients was petitioner Felipa B. Cueme, General Manager of Mark-Agro
Trading Corporation and AMF General Trading Corporation engaged in the trading of
CD Technologies Asia, Inc. 2016 cdasiaonline.com
 cacao in Davao and Manila. 3 Since both Simolde and Cueme hail from Davao they became
friends and soon Simolde started lending money to Cueme for which Cueme would issue
post-dated crossed checks to Simolde covering the amounts lent plus interests. 4 As
recorded, their transactions were Cdpr

DATES OF AMOUNTS LENT FACE VALUE BPI CHECKS

CHECKS BY SIMOLDE CHECKS NOS.
7 Feb. 1990 P25,000.00 27,000.00 647647 5

12 Feb. 1990 175,000.00 189,000.00 647626 6

17 Feb. 1990 175,000.00 189,000.00 356891 7

21 Feb. 1990 100,000.00 108,000.00 356892 8

3 Mar. 1990 25,000.00 27,000.00 356941 9

6 Mar. 1990 25,000.00 27,000.00 356942 1 0

8 Mar. 1990 696,000.00 356942 1 1

10 Mar. 1990 135,000.00 155,000.00 647700 1 2

12 Mar. 1990 50,000.00 54,000.00 356915 1 3

12 Mar. 1990 50,000.00 55,000.00 356943 1 4

14 Mar. 1990 200,000.00 220,000.00 356944 1 5

14 Mar. 1990 75,000.00 82,500.00 356945 1 6

15 Mar. 1990 130,000.00 145,000.00 356946 1 7

16 Mar. 1990 350,000.00 385,000.00 356947 1 8

24 Mar. 1990 27,500.00 27,500.00 356948 1 9

Each of these checks was drawn against the deposit accounts of Mark-Agro Trading
Corporation at BPI. cdll

On several occasions Cueme somehow persuaded Simolde not to deposit the checks as
issued. But on 9 May 1990 Simolde finally deposited all the checks 2 0 in her BPI-Makati
account which, however, were dishonored for being "drawn against insufficient funds"
(DAIF). Simolde immediately informed Cueme about the dishonored checks and
repeatedly demanded payment but to no avail. Apparently Cueme had no intention of
making good any of those checks.
Petitioner Felipa B. Cueme however had a different story when she took the witness stand.
She disputed Simolde's claim that she borrowed money from her. She contended that the
sums petitioner received were not Simolde's but those of the investors of Mark-Agro
Trading Corporation. She likewise denied having issued the subject checks to Simolde
alleging instead that it was Simolde who procured the pre-signed blank checks from
petitioner's secretary, Leonora Gabuan, and thereafter entered the dates, names and
amounts in each of the checks only for the purpose of showing them to prospective
investors of Mark-Agro Trading Corporation.
Leonora Gabuan corroborated petitioner's version. Gabuan testified that she knew
petitioner and complaining witness to be very close to each other like sisters; 2 1 that
CD Technologies Asia, Inc. 2016 cdasiaonline.com
 sometime in March 1990 she had with her pre-signed checks entrusted by petitioner who
was then in Davao for the payment of telephone and electric bills, payroll and petty cash; 2 2
that Simolde approached her and asked for checks purportedly to be shown to potential
investors but she refused knowing that she was not authorized to use them for any
purpose other than that for which they were intended; 2 3 that upon Simolde's insistence
however she eventually relented and handed over to Simolde the requested checks; 2 4 that
the following day Simolde requested her to fill up three (3) blank checks to which she
complied but she told Simolde that those checks were not funded yet and that Simolde
would be paid as soon as they had the money.
As stated earlier, the trial court found petitioner guilty as charged and sentenced her to a
uniform prison term of six (6) months in each of the fifteen (15) cases plus a fine of
P27,000.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5626, P189,000.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5625,
P189,000.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5621, P108,000.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5622,
P27,000.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5613, P27,000.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5612,
P200,000.000 in Crim. Case No. 92-5624, P155,000.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5627,
P54,000.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5614, P55,000.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5615,
P220,000.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5616, P82,500.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5617,
P145,000.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5618, P200,000.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5619, and
P27,500.00 in Crim. Case No. 92-5620. 2 5

On appeal, the Court of Appeals affirmed with modification the trial court's decision
The judgment of the court a quo finding the appellant guilty as charged is hereby
affirmed. However, the penalty imposed in Criminal Case No. 92-5616, where the
accused was sentenced to a fine of P220,000.00 in addition to six (6) months
imprisonment must be modified. prLL

Section 1 of B.P. Blg. 22 provides that the fine to be imposed against the accused
shall be "not less than but not more than double the amount of the check which
fine shall in no case exceed Two Hundred Thousand Pesos . . ."

In Criminal Case No. 92-5616, the accused issued Check No. 356944 with a face
value of P220,000.00. Consequently, the fine imposed against the accused must
be reduced to the maximum amount of Two Hundred Thousand Pesos
(P200,000.00) only.

Her motion for reconsideration having been denied by the Court of Appeals, petitioner now
entreats us to reverse her conviction contending that, first, she did not issue the checks in
question as she merely signed them in blank; second, it was complainant who procured
the checks from petitioner's secretary, made the corresponding entries therein, and
thereafter deposited them in her account; and third, the checks were not issued for value
or consideration as they were merely intended to be shown to would-be investors of Mark-
Agro Trading Corporation, and not to be encashed or deposited in the bank.
After a thorough review of the records we find petitioner's conviction for violations of B.P.
Blg. 22 well-founded. B.P. Blg. 22 was purposely enacted to prevent the proliferation of
worthless checks in the mainstream of daily business and to avert not only the
undermining of the banking system of the country but also the infliction of damage and
injury upon trade and commerce occasioned by the indiscriminate issuances of such
checks. By its very nature, the offenses defined under B.P. Blg. 22 are against public
interest. Thus in Lozano v. Martinez, 2 6 we held
CD Technologies Asia, Inc. 2016 cdasiaonline.com
 The effects of the issuance of a worthless check transcend (sic) the private
interests of the parties directly involved in the transaction and touch (sic) the
interest of the community at large. The mischief it creates is not only a wrong to
the payee and holder but also an injury to the public. The harmful practice of
putting valueless commercial papers in circulation, multiplied a thousand fold,
can very well pollute the channels of trade and commerce, injure the banking
system and eventually hurt the welfare of society and the public interest.

There are two (2) ways of violating B.P. Blg. 22: (a) by making or drawing and issuing a
check to apply on account or for value knowing at the time of issue that the check is not
sufficiently funded; and, (b) by having sufficient funds in or credit with the drawee bank but
failing to keep sufficient funds or to maintain a credit to cover the full amount of the check
when presented to the drawee bank within a period of ninety (90) days. 2 7 Petitioner was
convicted under the first type of violation.
Whether petitioner indeed issued the disputed checks to complainant in payment of
outstanding obligations, or whether it was complainant who procured the checks from
petitioner's secretary only to be shown to potential investors is a factual question involving
as it does the credibility of witnesses. It is well-settled that where the issue is the
credibility of witnesses the appellate court will not generally disturb the findings of the
lower court considering that it is in a better position to settle that issue. Verily, the trial
court has the advantage of hearing the witnesses and observing their conduct during the
trial, which circumstances carry great weight in assessing their credibility. We see no
reason to overturn the decisions of the trial court and the Court of Appeals in giving
credence to the testimony of complainant. The testimony of a lone witness when credible
and trustworthy, as in this case, is sufficient to convict. 2 8
The claim of petitioner that she merely signed the checks in blank is belied by the fact that
some of the checks even bore her signatures at the back suggesting that the checks had
been indorsed by her, while others containing alterations in the entries were properly
countersigned by her. 2 9 These circumstances could only mean that the checks were
issued either by petitioner herself or at her instance.
Significantly, during the preliminary investigation, petitioner Cueme and her witness
Leonora Gabuan submitted their Counter-Affidavit 3 0 and Affidavit, respectively. 3 1
Petitioner categorically stated in her Counter-Affidavit that she issued the checks in
question to complainant for purposes of showing them to various potential investors. On
her part, Leonora Gabuan alleged in her Affidavit that she was instructed by petitioner to
deliver the checks to the complainant. Their admissions in their affidavits clearly
contradicted their testimonies during the trial when they both denied that the checks were
issued to complaining witness. Their explanations, i.e., that they were in a hurry when they
signed the affidavits and that they did not understand their contents because they were
Visayans and the affidavits were written in English, 3 2 were hardly credible in the light of
the observation of the trial court that both were well-educated in banking and finance and
in fact exhibited a good command of the English language when they testified. Certainly,
their lame excuses cannot prevail against complainant's consistent, straightforward and
positive testimony as noted by the trial court. It must be stressed that in the prosecution
of offenses under B.P. Blg. 22 it is incumbent upon the accused to prove his defenses by
clear and convincing evidence. LexLib

The allegation of petitioner that the checks were merely intended to be shown to
prospective investors of her corporation is, to say the least, not a defense. The gravamen
of the offense punished under B.P. Blg. 22 is the act of making or issuing a worthless
CD Technologies Asia, Inc. 2016 cdasiaonline.com
 check or a check that is dishonored upon its presentment for payment. The law has made
the mere act of issuing a bad check malum prohibitum, an act proscribed by the legislature
for being deemed pernicious and inimical to public welfare. 3 3 Considering the rule in mala
prohibita cases, the only inquiry is whether the law has been breached. Criminal intent
becomes unnecessary where the acts are prohibited for reasons of public policy, and the
defenses of good faith and absence of criminal intent are unavailing. LexLib

The checks issued, even assuming they were not intended to be encashed or deposited in
a bank, produce the same effect as ordinary checks. What the law punishes is the issuance
of a rubber check itself and not the purpose for which the check was issued nor the terms
and conditions relating to its issuance. 3 4 This is not without good reasons. To determine
the purpose as well as the terms and conditions for which checks are issued will greatly
erode the faith the public reposes in the stability and commercial value of checks as
currency substitutes, and bring about havoc in the trading and banking communities. 3 5
Besides, the law does not make any distinction as to the kind of checks which are the
subject of its provisions, hence, no such distinction can be made by means of
interpretation or application. What is important is the fact that petitioner deliberately
issued the checks in question and those checks were dishonored upon presentment for
payment.
In fine, it is evident from the records that there were violations of B.P. Blg. 22 committed
by petitioner: (a) all the checks were complete on their faces, i.e., properly dated, signed,
with the name of the payee and amount of the checks entered; (b) the checks were issued
on account of loans petitioner made; (c) all the checks were dishonored and stamped
"drawn against insufficient funds"; and, (d) BPI Bookkeeper Arnulfo Fernandez presented in
court a ledger where Account Nos. 001-1151-95 and 0011-1318-08 of petitioner were
shown to have insufficient funds at the date of the issuance of the checks. 3 6 Added to
these is the presumption of knowledge of insufficiency of funds. A maker's knowledge is
presumed from the dishonor of his check for insufficiency of funds. 3 7 Once proved that
the maker or drawer had knowledge of the insufficiency of his funds or credit, which is also
an important element for the offense to exist, he is rendered ipso facto liable.
Lastly, we agree with the modification made by the Court of Appeals on the penalty
imposed by the court a quo. Section 1 of B.P. Blg. 22 specifically provides that the fine to
be imposed on the offender shall be "not less than but not more than double the amount of
the check, which fine shall in no case exceed Two Hundred Thousand Pesos
(P200,000.00). Thus, petitioner should be made to pay only the maximum of P200,000.00
fine in Crim. Case No. 92-5616, and not P220,000.00 as fixed by the trial court.
WHEREFORE, the assailed Decision of the Court of Appeals dated 22 October 1997
affirming the decision of the trial court convicting petitioner FELIPA B. CUEME of fifteen
(15) violations of Batas Pambansa Blg . 22 otherwise known as the Bouncing Checks Law
is AFFIRMED. Accordingly, petitioner is sentenced to imprisonment of six (6) months for
each crime and to pay fines in the total amount of P1,686,000.00 for the fifteen (15) cases
after reducing the fine in Crim. Case No. 92-5616 to P200,000.00. Petitioner is further
ordered to pay complaining witness Helen Simolde the face value of the dishonored
checks in the aggregate amount of P2,387,500.00 with legal interest, plus costs. cdphil

SO ORDERED.
Mendoza, Buena and De Leon, Jr., JJ., concur.
Quisumbing, J., in the result.
CD Technologies Asia, Inc. 2016 cdasiaonline.com
 Footnotes

1. Penned by Associate Justice Consuelo Ynares-Santiago (now a member of this Court),

and concurred in by Associate Justices Conrado M. Vasquez, Jr. and Roberto A. Barrios.

2. TSN, 3 February 1993, p. 5.

3. TSN, 18 February 1993, p. 4.
4. TSN, 3 February 1993, pp. 24 and 29.
5. Crim. Case No. 92-5626.
6. Crim. Case No. 92-5625.

7. Crim. Case No. 92-5621.

8. Crim. Case No. 92-5622.
9. Crim. Case No. 92-5613.
10. Crim. Case No. 92-5612.

11. Crim. Case No. 92-5624.

12. Crim. Case No. 92-5627.
13. Crim. Case No. 92-5614.
14. Crim. Case No. 92-5615.
15. Crim. Case No. 92-5616.

16. Crim. Case No. 92-5617.

17. Crim. Case No. 92-5618.
18. Crim. Case No. 92-5619.
19. Crim. Case No. 92-5620.
20. Except for Check No. 647700 which was deposited on 10 April 1990 and dishonored the
following day.
21. TSN, 18 February 1993, p. 6.

22. TSN, p. 5.
23. Id., p. 7.
24. Id., p. 8.
25. Decision penned by Judge Francisco Donato Villanueva, RTC-Br. 136, Makati City.
26. G.R. No. 63419, 18 December 1986, 146 SCRA 323, 340.

27. Sec. 1, B.P. Blg. 22.

28. Ibasco v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 117488, 5 September 1996, 261 SCRA 449.
29. Records, pp. 37, 53 and 87.
CD Technologies Asia, Inc. 2016 cdasiaonline.com
 30. Rollo, p. 32.
31. Id., pp. 288-289.
32. TSN, 18 March 1993, pp. 2-3; TSN, 18 February 1998, p. 35.
33. People v. Reyes, G.R. Nos. 101127-31, 18 November 1993, 228 SCRA 13.
34. People v. Nitafan, G.R. No. 75954, 22 October 1992, 215 SCRA 79.
35. Id., p. 85.
36. TSN, 12 February 1993, pp. 3-9.

37. Vaca v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 131714, 16 November 1998, 298 SCRA 656.

CD Technologies Asia, Inc. 2016 cdasiaonline.com