1
[G.R. No. 150185. May 27, 2004]
TERESITA TANGHAL OKABE, petitioner, vs. HON. PEDRO DE LEON GUTIERREZ, in his
capacity as Presiding Judge of RTC, Pasay City, Branch 119; PEOPLE OF THE
PHILIPPINES; and CECILIA MARUYAMA, respondents.
DECISION
CALLEJO, SR., J.:
Before us is a petition for review on certiorari, under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court, as amended,
that part of the Decision[if !supportFootnotes][1][endif] of the Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. SP No. 60732
dismissing her petition for certiorari under Rule 65 of the Rules of Court, as amended, for the
nullification of the August 25 and 28, 2000 Orders of the respondent judge in Criminal Case No.
00-0749.
The Antecedents
Cecilia Maruyama executed a fifteen-page affidavit-complaint and filed the same with the Office of
the City Prosecutor of Pasay City, on December 29, 1999, charging Lorna Tanghal and petitioner
Teresita Tanghal Okabe, a.k.a. Shiela Okabe, with estafa. In her affidavit, Maruyama alleged, inter
alia, that on December 11, 1998, she entrusted Y11,410,000 with the peso equivalent of
P3,993,500 to the petitioner, who was engaged in the business of door-to-door delivery from Japan
to the Philippines. It was alleged that the petitioner failed to deliver the money as agreed upon,
and, at first, denied receiving the said amount but later returned only US$1,000 through Lorna
Tanghal.
During the preliminary investigation, the complainant, respondent Maruyama, submitted the
affidavit of her witnesses, namely, Hermogena Santiago, Wilma Setsu and Marilette G. Izumiya
and other documentary evidence. In her affidavit, Setsu alleged that the money which was
entrusted to the petitioner for delivery to the Philippines belonged to her and her sister Annie
Hashimoto, and their mother Hermogena Sanchez-Quicho, who joined respondent Maruyama in
her complaint against petitioner Okabe and Tanghal. Respondent Maruyama, likewise, submitted
a reply[if !supportFootnotes][3][endif] to the petitioners counter-affidavit. After the requisite preliminary
investigation, 2nd Assistant City Prosecutor Joselito J. Vibandor came out with a resolution dated
March 30, 2000, finding probable cause for estafa against the petitioner.[if !supportFootnotes][4][endif]
Attached to the resolution, which was submitted to the city prosecutor for approval, was the
Information[if !supportFootnotes][5][endif] against the petitioner and Maruyamas affidavit-complaint. The city
prosecutor approved the resolution and the Information dated March 30, 2000 attached thereto. [if
!supportFootnotes][6][endif]
On May 15, 2000, an Information against the petitioner was filed in the Regional Trial Court of
Pasay City, docketed as Criminal Case No. 00-0749. The case was raffled to Branch 119 of the
court presided by Judge Pedro de Leon Gutierrez.[if !supportFootnotes][7][endif] The accusatory portion of
the Information reads:
That on or about December 12, 1998 in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, and within the
jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, the above-named accused defrauded Cecilia Maruyama and
Conchita Quicho, complainant herein, in the following manner, to wit: said accused received in
trust from Cecilia Maruyama the amount of Japanese Yen 1141 (sic) with peso equivalent to
P3,839,465.00 under obligation to deliver the money to Conchita Quicho at the NAIA International
Airport, Pasay City, immediately upon accused arrival from Japan, but herein accused once in
possession of the same, did, then and there willfully, unlawfully and feloniously misappropriate and
convert to her own personal benefit the said amount, and despite demands accused failed and
refused to do so, to the damage and prejudice of the complainants in the aforesaid amount.
Contrary to law.[if !supportFootnotes][8][endif]
Appended to the Information was the affidavit-complaint of respondent Maruyama and the
resolution of Investigating Prosecutor Vibandor. On May 19, 2000, the trial court issued a warrant
for the arrest of the petitioner with a recommended bond of P40,000. On June 15, 2000, the
petitioner posted a personal bail bond in the said amount, duly approved by Judge Demetrio B.
Macapagal, the Presiding Judge of Branch 79 of the RTC of Quezon City, who forthwith recalled the
said warrant. The approved personal bail bond of the petitioner was transmitted to the RTC of Pasig
City on June 21, 2000. Upon her request, the petitioner was furnished with a certified copy of the
Information, the resolution and the criminal complaint which formed part of the records of the said
case. The petitioner left the Philippines for Japan on June 17, 2000 without the trial courts
permission, and returned to the Philippines on June 28, 2000. She left the Philippines anew on July
1, 2000, and returned on July 12, 2000.
On July 14, 2000, the trial court issued an Order setting the petitioners arraignment and pre-trial
at 2:00 p.m. of July 16, 2000. On the same day, the private prosecutor filed an urgent ex parte
motion for the issuance of the hold departure order, alleging as follows:
3. It has come to the knowledge of private complainant that there is an impending marriage within
the Philippines of either the son or daughter of the above-named accused and that the above-
named accusedwho has businesses in Japan, and is presently in Japanwill soon exit Japan and
enter the Philippines to precisely attend said wedding;
4. Given [a] the bail was fixed at merely P40,000.00 and b] the considerable financial capability of
the accused, it is a foregone conclusion that the above-named accused will, upon arrest, readily
and immediately post bond, and leave for Japanthereby frustrating and rendering inutile the
administration of criminal justice in our country. The speed with which accused Teresita Sheila
Tanghal Okabe can post bond and leave for Japaneffectively evading arraignment and pleathus
necessitates the immediate issuance of a Hold Departure Order even before her arrival here in the
Philippines;[if !supportFootnotes][9][endif]
The trial court issued an order on the same day, granting the motion of the private prosecutor for
the issuance of a hold departure order and ordering the Commission on Immigration and
Deportation (CID) to hold and prevent any attempt on the part of the petitioner to depart from the
Philippines.[if !supportFootnotes][10][endif] For her part, the petitioner filed on July 17, 2000 a verified motion
for judicial determination of probable cause and to defer proceedings/arraignment, alleging that
the only documents appended to the Information submitted by the investigating prosecutor were
respondent Maruyamas affidavit-complaint for estafa and the resolution of the investigating
prosecutor; the affidavits of the witnesses of the complainant, the respondents counter-affidavit
and the other evidence adduced by the parties were not attached thereto. The petitioner further
alleged that the documents submitted by the investigating prosecutor were not enough on which
the trial court could base a finding of probable cause for estafa against her. She further averred
that conformably to the rulings of this Court in Lim v. Felix[if !supportFootnotes][11][endif] and Roberts, Jr.
v. Court of Appeals,[if !supportFootnotes][12][endif] it behooved the investigating prosecutor to submit the
following to the trial court to enable it to determine the presence or absence of probable cause:
(a) copies of the affidavits of the witnesses of the complainant; (b) the counter-affidavit of Okabe
and those of her witnesses; (c) the transcripts of stenographic notes taken during the preliminary
investigation; and, (d) other documents presented during the said investigation.
On July 19, 2000, the petitioner filed a Very Urgent Motion To Lift/Recall Hold Departure Order
dated July 17, 2000 and/or allow her to regularly travel to Japan alleging, thus:
3. Accused is (sic) widow and the legitimate mother of three (3) children, two (2) of whom are still
minors, namely:
3.1. Okabe, Jeffrey-18 years old born on 13 August 1981.
3.2. Okabe, Masatoshi-14 years old and born on 16 October 1985, 3rd year High School student
at Hoshikuki, Chiba City, Matsugaoka, High School, residing at Chiba City, Chuo-Ku, Yahagi-cho,
205, Telephone No. 043-224-5804.
3.3. Okabe, Tomoki-13 years old and born on 13 March 1986, 2nd year High School student at
Hoshikuki, Chiba City, Matsugaoka, High School, residing at Chiba City, Chuo-Ku, Yahagi-cho, 205,
Telephone No. 043-224-5804.
3.4. The accused has to attend the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) at the Hoshikuki High School
where her two (2) minor sons aforesaid are presently enrolled and studying because Okabe,
Masatoshis graduation will take place on 26 July 2000.
3.5. The two (2) minor children of the accused absolutely depend their support (basic necessities)
for foods, clothings, medicines, rentals, schooling and all other expenses for their survival to their
legitimate mother who is the accused herein.
3.6. The issuance of the hold departure order (HDO) will impair the inherent custodial rights of the
accused as the legitimate mother over these two (2) minor children which is repugnant to law.
3.7. The issuance of the hold departure order (HDO) will unduly restrict the accused to her custodial
rights and visitation over her aforesaid minor children who are permanently living in Japan.
3.8. The issuance of the hold departure order (HDO) will unduly deprived (sic) these minor children
to their right to obtain education and survival.
4. Accuseds only source of income and livelihood is door-to-door delivery from Japan to the
Philippines and vice versa which has been taking place for a very long period of time and in the
process she has been constantly departing from the Philippines on a weekly basis and arriving in
Japan on the same frequency, as evidenced by xerox copies of the pages of her Philippine Passports
which are hereto attached as Annexes A, A-1, A-2 up to A-30, respectively. To deprive her of this
only source of her livelihood to which the aforesaid two (2) minor children are deriving their very
survival in a foreign land will (sic) tantamount to oppression rather than prosecution and depriving
the said minor sons of their right to live even before trial on the merits of this case that will (sic)
tantamount to the destruction of the future of these minor children.[if !supportFootnotes][13][endif]
The private prosecutor opposed the petitioners motions during the hearing on July 21, 2000 which

was also the date set for her arraignment. The hearing of the motions as well as the arraignment
was reset to 2:00 p.m. of July 26, 2000. On the said date, the petitioner filed a manifestation
objecting to her arraignment prior to the resolution of her pending motions. She alleged that her
arraignment for the crime charged should not be made a condition for the granting of her motion
to recall the hold departure order issued against her. The arraignment of the petitioner was again
reset to 2:00 p.m. of August 28, 2000, pending the resolution of her two motions. On August 25,
2000, the petitioner filed a motion for the postponement of her arraignment alleging that, in case
the trial court ruled adversely thereon, she would refuse to enter a plea and seek relief from the
appellate court. The court denied the petitioners motions on the following grounds:
(a) Based on its personal examination and consideration of the Information, the affidavit-complaint
of respondent Maruyama and the resolution of the investigating prosecutor duly approved by the
city prosecutor, the court found probable cause for the petitioners arrest. Since the petitioners
motion for a determination of probable cause was made after the court had already found probable
cause and issued a warrant for the petitioners arrest, and after the latter filed a personal bail bond
for her provisional liberty, such motion was a mere surplusage;
(b) When the petitioner posted a personal bail bond for her provisional liberty, she thereby waived
her right to question the courts finding of the existence of probable cause for her arrest and
submitted herself to the jurisdiction of the court, more so when she filed the motion for the lifting
of the hold departure order the court issued, and the motion to defer the proceedings and her
arraignment; and
(c) The hold departure order issued by the trial court was in accord with Supreme Court Circular
No. 39-97 dated June 19, 1997, as well as the ruling of this Court in Manotoc, Jr. v. Court of
Appeals.[if !supportFootnotes][14][endif]
When the case was called for the petitioners arraignment at 2:00 p.m., on August 28, 2000, she
refused to plead.[if !supportFootnotes][15][endif] Her counsel advised her, in open court, not to enter a plea
and, with leave of court, left the courtroom. The court then entered a not guilty plea for the
petitioner.[if !supportFootnotes][16][endif] It also issued an order, on the said date, setting the pre-trial and
initial presentation of the evidence of the prosecution at 8:30 a.m. of September 20, 2000. [if
!supportFootnotes][17][endif]
The petitioner then filed with the Court of Appeals a petition for certiorari under Rule 65 of the
Rules of Court with a plea for a writ of preliminary injunction. The case was docketed as CA-G.R.
SP No. 60732. The petitioner ascribed the following errors to the trial court:
I June 15, 2000 before the Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure took effect.
RESPONDENT COURT GRAVELY ERRED WHEN IT ISSUED
WARRANT OF ARREST DESPITE OF (SIC) LACK
OF PROBABLE CAUSE
II
RESPONDENT COURT HAS VIOLATED THE
RIGHT OF THE PETITIONER TO DUE PROCESS
III
RESPONDENT COURT HAS ALREADY PRE-JUDGED
THE CONVICTION OF THE PETITIONER FOR ESTAFA
IV
RESPONDENT COURT HAS EXHIBITED ITS APPARENT
PARTIALITY TOWARDS THE PROSECUTION AND
AGAINST THE PETITIONER
V (iii) at least P500,000.00 as attorneys fees and for other expenses of litigation.
RESPONDENT COURT GRAVELY ERRED WHEN IT DENIES (SIC) THE MOTION FOR JUDICIAL
DETERMINATION OF PROBABLE CAUSE PURSUANT TO THE DOCTRINE OF ROBERTS, JR.
VI
RESPONDENT COURT GRAVELY ERRED WHEN IT DENIES (SIC)
THE LIFTING/RECALL OF THE HDO AND/OR ALLOWING THE
PETITIONER TO TRAVEL TO JAPAN REGULARLY FOR
HUMANITARIAN CONSIDERATION
VII
RESPONDENT COURT COMMITTED GRAVE ABUSE OF
DISCRETION AMOUNTING TO LACK OF JURISDICTION
WHEN IT ISSUED THE QUESTIONED ORDERS[if !supportFootnotes][18][endif]
On January 31, 2001, the CA rendered a Decision [if !supportFootnotes][19][endif] partially granting the
petition in that the assailed order of the trial court denying the petitioners motion to lift/recall the
hold departure order was set aside. However, the petitioners motion for reconsideration of the trial
2
courts decision was denied and her petition for the nullification of the August 25, 2000 Order of
the respondent judge was dismissed. The CA ruled that by posting bail and praying for reliefs from
the trial court, the petitioner waived her right to assail the respondent judges finding of the
existence of probable cause. The appellate court cited the ruling of this Court in Cojuangco, Jr. v.
Sandiganbayan.[if !supportFootnotes][20][endif] Thus, the appellate court affirmed the assailed order of the
RTC, based on the respondent judges personal examination of respondent Maruyamas affidavit-
complaint, the resolution of the investigating prosecutor and the Information approved by the city
prosecutor, a finding of probable cause was in order. However, the appellate court allowed the
petitioner to travel to Japan under the following conditions:
(1) That petitioner post a bond double the amount of her alleged monetary liability under the
Information filed against her, as recommended by the Office of the Solicitor General;
(2) That petitioner inform respondent Court of each and all of her travel itinerary prior to leaving
the country;
(3) That petitioner make periodic reports with respondent Court;
(4) That petitioner furnish respondent Court with all the addresses of her possible place of
residence, both here and in Japan; and
(5) Such other reasonable conditions which respondent Court may deem appropriate under the
circumstances.[if !supportFootnotes][21][endif]
The appellate court did not resolve the issue of whether the trial court had prejudged the case and
was partial to the prosecution. The decretal portion of the decision of the CA reads:
WHEREFORE, premises considered, the instant special civil action for certiorari is hereby
PARTIALLY GRANTED insofar as the denial of petitioners Motion to Lift/Recall Hold Departure
Order dated 14 July, 2000 and/or Allow the accused to Regularly Travel to Japan is concerned. In
all other respect, the same is hereby DENIED.
SO ORDERED.[if !supportFootnotes][22][endif]
On March 6, 2001, the petitioner filed a motion for a partial reconsideration of the decision of the
CA contending that the appellate court erred in applying the ruling of this court in Cojuangco, Jr.
v. Court of Appeals[if !supportFootnotes][23][endif] instead of Section 26, Rule 114 of the Revised Rules on
Criminal Procedure. The petitioner posited that the said rule, which took effect on December 1,
2000, before the court rendered its decision, had superseded the ruling of this Court in the
Cojuangco case. However, the appellate court held that Section 26, Rule 114 of the Revised Rules
on Criminal Procedure cannot be applied retroactively, because the petitioner had posted bail on
Hence, the instant petition for review on certiorari for the reversal of the decision and resolution
of the CA and praying that after due proceedings, judgment be rendered in her favor, thus:
WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed of this Honorable Supreme Court that after due proceedings,
judgment be rendered in favor of the petitioner and against the respondents as follows:
(a) GIVING DUE COURSE to the instant petition;
(b) ORDERING the REVERSAL and PARTIALLY SETTING ASIDE of the Decision promulgated on 31
January 2001 (Annex A hereof) of the Honorable Court of Appeals in CA-G.R. SP No. 60732 as well
as its Resolution promulgated on 27 September 2001 (Annex B hereof);
(c) ORDERING the DISMISSAL of Crim. Case No. 00-0749 for lack of probable cause;
(d) DECLARING the entire proceedings in Crim. Case No. 00-0749 as null and void;
(e) ORDERING the private respondents to pay the petitioners the following amount:
(i) at least P1,000,000.00 as moral damages;
(ii) at least P1,000,000.00 as exemplary damages;
(f) ORDERING the private respondent to pay the costs of this suit.
(g) Petitioner further prays for such other reliefs just and equitable under the premises. [if
!supportFootnotes][24][endif]
The petitioner asserts that the CA committed the following reversible errors:
I
THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS MADE A REVERSIBLE ERROR WHEN IT COMPLETELY
DISREGARDED THE APPLICATION OF SECTION 26, RULE 114 OF THE REVISED RULES ON
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE WHICH TOOK EFFECT ON 01 DECEMBER 2000 WHICH IS FAVORABLE TO
THE PETITIONER/ACCUSED.
II
THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS MADE A REVERSIBLE ERROR IN RULING THAT WHATEVER
INFIRMITY THERE WAS IN THE ISSUANCE OF THE WARRANT OF ARREST, THE SAME WAS CURED
WHEN PETITIONER VOLUNTARILY SUBMITTED TO THE RESPONDENT COURTS JURISDICTION
WHEN SHE POSTED BAIL AND FILED MOTIONS SEEKING AFFIRMATIVE RELIEF SUCH AS MOTION

TO LIFT/RECALL HOLD DEPARTURE ORDER AND TO ALLOW PETITIONER TO TRAVEL REGULARLY
TO JAPAN (Last paragraph, Page 9 DECISION dated 31 January 2001).
III
THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS MADE A REVERSIBLE ERROR WHEN IT RELIED UPON THE
RULING IN THE CASE OF COJUANGCO, JR. VS. SANDIGANBAYAN, [300 SCRA 367 (1998)] WHEN
IN FACT SAID RULING IS NOW OBSOLETE AND NO LONGER APPLICABLE.
IV
THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS MADE A REVERSIBLE ERROR IN RULING THAT RESPONDENT
COURT COMPLIED WITH THE CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS ON THE ISSUANCE OF WARRANT
OF ARREST WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE, WHEN THE RESPONDENT COURT MERELY RELIED ON
[THE] (i) COMPLAINT-AFFIDAVIT OF CECILIA MARUYAMA; (ii) RESOLUTION OF THE
INVESTIGATING PROSECUTOR; AND (iii) CRIMINAL INFORMATION.
V that such documents are sufficient on which to anchor a finding of probable cause. It insists that
THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS MADE A REVERSIBLE ERROR WHEN IT FAILED TO RULE ON
THE PARTIALITY OF THE RESPONDENT JUDGE IN HANDLING THE CASE BELOW WHICH IS
VIOLATIVE OF THE PETITIONERS RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS.
VI
THE FILING OF CRIM. CASE NO. 4297 (MTC, ANGAT, BULACAN) FOR ESTAFA ENTITLED PEOPLE
VS. SHEILA OKABE; CIVIL CASE NO. 331-M-98 (RTC, MALOLOS, BULACAN) FOR SUM OF MONEY
WITH PRELIMINARY ATTACHMENT ENTITLED CONCHITA SANCHEZ-QUICHO VS. SHEILA TERESITA
TANGHAL OKABE; AND CRIM. CASE NO. 00-07-19 (RTC, PASAY CITY, BRANCH 119) ENTITLED
PEOPLE VS. TERESITA TANGHAL OKABE CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RULE ON NON-FORUM
SHOPPING.[if !supportFootnotes][25][endif]
By way of comment, the Office of the Solicitor General refuted the petitioners assigned errors,
contending as follows:
I one, intended to modify previous rulings of this Court that an application for bail or the admission
The Court of Appeals did not commit a reversible error in not applying Section 26, Rule 114 of the
Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure.
II
The Court of Appeals did not commit a reversible error in ruling that the infirmity, if any, in the
issuance by the respondent Judge of the warrant of arrest against petitioner was cured when
petitioner voluntarily submitted to the trial courts jurisdiction when she posted bail and filed
motions seeking for affirmative reliefs from the trial court, such as the motion to lift/recall Hold
Departure Order (HDO) and to allow petitioner to travel regularly to Japan.
III
The Court of Appeals did not commit a reversible error in applying the ruling in the Cojuangco case.
IV
The Court of Appeals did not commit a reversible error in finding that respondent Judge complied
with the constitutional requirements on the issuance of a warrant of arrest.
V be argued that she waived her right to question the finding of probable cause and to assail the
The Court of Appeals did not commit a reversible error when it did not rule on the partiality of the
respondent Judge in handling Criminal Case No. 00-0749.
VI
The Honorable Court of Appeals did not commit a reversible error when it did not rule on petitioners
claim of forum shopping.[if !supportFootnotes][26][endif]
The Court shall resolve the assigned errors simultaneously as they are interrelated.
The petitioner asserts that the respondent judge could not have determined the existence of
probable cause for her arrest solely on the resolution of the investigating prosecutor and the
undated affidavit-complaint of respondent Maruyama. She posits that the respondent judge should
have ordered the investigating prosecutor to submit the affidavits of the witnesses of respondent
Maruyama and the latters documentary evidence, as well as the counter-affidavit of the petitioner
and the transcripts of the stenographic notes, if any, taken during the preliminary investigation.
The petitioner adds that the respondent judge should have personally reviewed the said
documents, conformably to the rulings of this Court in Lim v. Felix,[if !supportFootnotes][27][endif] Roberts,
Jr. v. Court of Appeals[if !supportFootnotes][28][endif] and Ho v. People,[if !supportFootnotes][29][endif] before
determining the presence or absence of probable cause. She posits that the respondent judge
acted with grave abuse of discretion amounting to excess or lack of jurisdiction in denying her
motion for a determination of probable cause, and the alternative motion for a dismissal of the
case against her for lack of probable cause.
The petitioner further asserts that the appellate court erred in affirming the ruling of the respondent
judge that, by posting a personal bail bond for her provisional liability and by filing several motions
3
for relief, she thereby voluntarily submitted herself to the jurisdiction of the trial court and waived
her right to assail the infirmities that infected the trial courts issuance of the warrant for her arrest.
She avers that the appellate courts reliance on the ruling of this Court in Cojuangco, Jr. v.
Sandiganbayan[if !supportFootnotes][30][endif] is misplaced, and submits that the appellate court should
have applied Section 26, Rule 114 of the Revised Rules of Court retroactively, as it rendered the
ruling of this Court in the Cojuangco, Jr. case obsolete.
The Office of the Solicitor General, on the other hand, asserts that the respondent judge did not
commit any grave abuse of discretion when he found probable cause against the petitioner for
estafa, and thereafter issued a warrant for her arrest. It argues that the respondent judge
personally determined the existence of probable cause independently of the certification of the
investigating prosecutor, and only after examining the Information, the resolution of the
investigating prosecutor, as well as the affidavit-complaint of the private complainant. It asserts
the appellate court correctly applied the ruling of this Court in the Cojuangco, Jr. v. Court of Appeals
case, and that the respondent judge complied with both the requirements of the constitution and
those set forth in the Rules of Court before issuing the said warrant.[if !supportFootnotes][31][endif]
We agree with the contention of the petitioner that the appellate court erred in not applying Section
26, Rule 114 of the Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure, viz:
SEC. 26. Bail not a bar to objections on illegal arrest, lack of or irregular preliminary investigation.
An application for or admission to bail shall not bar the accused from challenging the validity of his
arrest or the legality of the warrant issued therefor, or from assailing the regularity or questioning
the absence of a preliminary investigation of the charge against him, provided that he raises them
before entering his plea. The court shall resolve the matter as early as practicable but not later
than the start of the trial of the case.
It bears stressing that Section 26, Rule 114 of the Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure is a new
to bail by the accused shall be considered as a waiver of his right to assail the warrant issued for
his arrest on the legalities or irregularities thereon.[if !supportFootnotes][32][endif] The new rule has reverted
to the ruling of this Court in People v. Red.[if !supportFootnotes][33][endif] The new rule is curative in nature
because precisely, it was designed to supply defects and curb evils in procedural rules. Hence, the
rules governing curative statutes are applicable. Curative statutes are by their essence retroactive
in application.[if !supportFootnotes][34][endif] Besides, procedural rules as a general rule operate
retroactively, even without express provisions to that effect, to cases pending at the time of their
effectivity, in other words to actions yet undetermined at the time of their effectivity. [if
!supportFootnotes][35][endif]
Before the appellate court rendered its decision on January 31, 2001, the
Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure was already in effect. It behooved the appellate court to have
applied the same in resolving the petitioners petition for certiorari and her motion for partial
reconsideration.
Moreover, considering the conduct of the petitioner after posting her personal bail bond, it cannot
warrant of arrest issued against her by the respondent judge. There must be clear and convincing
proof that the petitioner had an actual intention to relinquish her right to question the existence of
probable cause.[if !supportFootnotes][36][endif] When the only proof of intention rests on what a party does,
his act should be so manifestly consistent with, and indicative of, an intent to voluntarily and
unequivocally relinquish the particular right that no other explanation of his conduct is possible. [if
!supportFootnotes][37][endif]
In this case, the records show that a warrant was issued by the respondent
judge in Pasay City for the arrest of the petitioner, a resident of Guiguinto, Bulacan. When the
petitioner learned of the issuance of the said warrant, she posted a personal bail bond to avert her
arrest and secure her provisional liberty. Judge Demetrio B. Macapagal of the RTC of Quezon City
approved the bond and issued an order recalling the warrant of arrest against the petitioner. Thus,
the posting of a personal bail bond was a matter of imperative necessity to avert her incarceration;
it should not be deemed as a waiver of her right to assail her arrest. So this Court ruled in People
v. Red:[if !supportFootnotes][38][endif]
The present defendants were arrested towards the end of January, 1929, on the Island and
Province of Marinduque by order of the judge of the Court of First Instance of Lucena, Tayabas, at
a time when there were no court sessions being held in Marinduque. In view of these circumstances
and the number of the accused, it may properly be held that the furnishing of the bond was
prompted by the sheer necessity of not remaining in detention, and in no way implied their waiver
of any right, such as the summary examination of the case before their detention. That they had
no intention of waiving this right is clear from their motion of January 23, 1929, the same day on
which they furnished a bond, and the fact that they renewed this petition on February 23, 1929,

praying for the stay of their arrest for lack of the summary examination; the first motion being
denied by the court on January 24, 1929 (G.R. No. 33708, page 8), and the second remaining
undecided, but with an order to have it presented in Boac, Marinduque.
Therefore, the defendants herein cannot be said to have waived the right granted to them by
section 13, General Order No. 58, as amended by Act No. 3042. [if !supportFootnotes][39][endif]
Moreover, the next day, or on June 16, 2000, the petitioner, through counsel, received certified
true copies of the Information, the resolution of the investigating prosecutor, the affidavit-
complaint of the private complainant, respondent Maruyama, and a certification from the branch
clerk of court that only the Information, resolution and affidavit-complaint formed part of the entire
records of the case. The next day, June 17, 2000, the petitioner, through counsel, filed a verified
motion for judicial determination of probable cause and to defer the proceedings and her
arraignment. All the foregoing are inconsistent with a waiver of her right to assail the validity of
her arrest and to question the respondent judges determination of the existence of probable cause
for her arrest.
Neither can the petitioners filing of a motion for the lifting of the hold departure order and for leave
to go to Japan be considered a waiver of her right to assail the validity of the arrest warrant issued
by the respondent judge. It bears stressing that when the petitioner filed the motion to lift the hold
departure order issued against her by the respondent judge, her motion for a determination of
probable cause was still unresolved. She sought a lifting of the hold departure order on July 14,
2000 and filed a motion for leave to go to Japan, to give the respondent judge an opportunity to
reconsider the said order, preparatory to assailing the same in the appellate court in case her
motion was denied.
The issue that now comes to fore is whether or not the respondent judge committed a grave abuse
of his discretion amounting to excess or lack of jurisdiction in issuing his August 25, 2000 Order.
By grave abuse of discretion is meant such patent and gross abuse of discretion as to amount to
an evasion of positive duty or a virtual refusal to perform a duty enjoined by law, or to act at all in
contemplation of law, as where the power is exercised in an arbitrary and despotic manner by
reasons of passion or personal hostility.[if !supportFootnotes][40][endif] Hence, when the court has
jurisdiction over the case, its questioned acts, even if its findings are not correct, would at most
constitute errors of law and not abuse of discretion correctible by the extraordinary remedy of
certiorari.[if !supportFootnotes][41][endif]
We agree with the petitioner that before the RTC judge issues a warrant of arrest under Section 6,
Rule 112 of the Rules of Court[if !supportFootnotes][42][endif] in relation to Section 2, Article III of the 1987
Constitution, the judge must make a personal determination of the existence or non-existence of
probable cause for the arrest of the accused. The duty to make such determination is personal and
exclusive to the issuing judge. He cannot abdicate his duty and rely on the certification of the
investigating prosecutor that he had conducted a preliminary investigation in accordance with law
and the Rules of Court, as amended, and found probable cause for the filing of the Information.
Under Section 1, Rule 112 of the Rules on Criminal Procedure, the investigating prosecutor, in
conducting a preliminary investigation of a case cognizable by the RTC, is tasked to determine
whether there is sufficient ground to engender a well-founded belief that a crime has been
committed and the respondent therein is probably guilty thereof and should be held for trial. A
preliminary investigation is for the purpose of securing the innocent against hasty, malicious and
oppressive prosecution, and to protect him from an open and public accusation of a crime, from
the trouble, expense and anxiety of a public trial.[if !supportFootnotes][43][endif]
If the investigating prosecutor finds probable cause for the filing of the Information against the
respondent, he executes a certification at the bottom of the Information that from the evidence
presented, there is a reasonable ground to believe that the offense charged has been committed
and that the accused is probably guilty thereof. Such certification of the investigating prosecutor
is, by itself, ineffective. It is not binding on the trial court. Nor may the RTC rely on the said
certification as basis for a finding of the existence of probable cause for the arrest of the accused.[if
!supportFootnotes][44][endif]
In contrast, the task of the presiding judge when the Information is filed with the court is first and
foremost to determine the existence or non-existence of probable cause for the arrest of the
accused. Probable cause is meant such set of facts and circumstances which would lead a
reasonably discreet and prudent man to believe that the offense charged in the Information or any
offense included therein has been committed by the person sought to be arrested.[if
!supportFootnotes][45][endif]
In determining probable cause, the average man weighs facts and
circumstances without resorting to the calibrations of the rules of evidence of which he has no
technical knowledge. He relies on common sense.[if !supportFootnotes][46][endif] A finding of probable cause
needs only to rest on evidence showing that more likely than not a crime has been committed and
4
that it was committed by the accused. Probable cause demands more than bare suspicion, it
requires less than evidence which would justify conviction. [if !supportFootnotes][47][endif]
The purpose of the mandate of the judge to first determine probable cause for the arrest of the
accused is to insulate from the very start those falsely charged of crimes from the tribulations,
expenses and anxiety of a public trial:
It must be stressed, however, that in these exceptional cases, the Court took the extraordinary
step of annulling findings of probable cause either to prevent the misuse of the strong arm of the
law or to protect the orderly administration of justice. The constitutional duty of this Court in
criminal litigations is not only to acquit the innocent after trial but to insulate, from the start, the
innocent from unfounded charges. For the Court is aware of the strains of a criminal accusation
and the stresses of litigation which should not be suffered by the clearly innocent. The filing of an
unfounded criminal information in court exposes the innocent to severe distress especially when
the crime is not bailable. Even an acquittal of the innocent will not fully bleach the dark and deep
stains left by a baseless accusation for reputation once tarnished remains tarnished for a long
length of time. The expense to establish innocence may also be prohibitive and can be more
punishing especially to the poor and the powerless. Innocence ought to be enough and the business
of this Court is to shield the innocent from senseless suits right from the start.[if !supportFootnotes][48][endif]
In determining the existence or non-existence of probable cause for the arrest of the accused, the
RTC judge may rely on the findings and conclusions in the resolution of the investigating prosecutor
finding probable cause for the filing of the Information. After all, as the Court held in Webb v. De
Leon,[if !supportFootnotes][49][endif] the judge just personally reviews the initial determination of the
investigating prosecutor finding a probable cause to see if it is supported by substantial evidence. [if
!supportFootnotes][50][endif]
However, in determining the existence or non-existence of probable cause for
the arrest of the accused, the judge should not rely solely on the said report.[if !supportFootnotes][51][endif]
The judge should consider not only the report of the investigating prosecutor but also the
affidavit/affidavits and the documentary evidence of the parties, the counter-affidavit of the
accused and his witnesses, as well as the transcript of stenographic notes taken during the
preliminary investigation, if any, submitted to the court by the investigating prosecutor upon the
filing of the Information.[if !supportFootnotes][52][endif] Indeed, in Ho v. People,[if !supportFootnotes][53][endif] this
Court held that:
Lastly, it is not required that the complete or entire records of the case during the preliminary
investigation be submitted to and examined by the judge. We do not intend to unduly burden trial
courts by obliging them to examine the complete records of every case all the time simply for the
purpose of ordering the arrest of an accused. What is required, rather, is that the judge must have
sufficient supporting documents (such as the complaint, affidavits, counter-affidavits, sworn
statements of witnesses or transcripts of stenographic notes, if any) upon which to make his
independent judgment or, at the very least, upon which to verify the findings of the prosecutor as
to the existence of probable cause. The point is: he cannot rely solely and entirely on the
prosecutors recommendation, as Respondent Court did in this case. Although the prosecutor enjoys
the legal presumption of regularity in the performance of his official duties and functions, which in
turn gives his report the presumption of accuracy, the Constitution, we repeat, commands the
judge to personally determine probable cause in the issuance of warrants of arrest. This Court has
consistently held that a judge fails in his bounden duty if he relies merely on the certification or
the report of the investigating officer.[if !supportFootnotes][54][endif]
The rulings of this Court are now embedded in Section 8(a), Rule 112 of the Revised Rules on
Criminal Procedure which provides that an Information or complaint filed in court shall be supported
by the affidavits and counter-affidavits of the parties and their witnesses, together with the other
supporting evidence of the resolution:
SEC. 8. Records. (a) Records supporting the information or complaint. An information or complaint
filed in court shall be supported by the affidavits and counter-affidavits of the parties and their
witnesses, together with the other supporting evidence and the resolution on the case.
If the judge is able to determine the existence or non-existence of probable cause on the basis of
the records submitted by the investigating prosecutor, there would no longer be a need to order
the elevation of the rest of the records of the case. However, if the judge finds the records and/or
evidence submitted by the investigating prosecutor to be insufficient, he may order the dismissal
of the case, or direct the investigating prosecutor either to submit more evidence or to submit the
entire records of the preliminary investigation, to enable him to discharge his duty. [if
!supportFootnotes][55][endif]
The judge may even call the complainant and his witness to themselves answer
the courts probing questions to determine the existence of probable cause. [if !supportFootnotes][56][endif]
The rulings of this Court in Soliven v. Makasiar[if !supportFootnotes][57][endif] and Lim v. Felix[if
!supportFootnotes][58][endif]
are now embodied in Section 6, Rule 112 of the Revised Rules on Criminal

Procedure, with modifications, viz:
SEC. 6. When warrant of arrest may issue. (a) By the Regional Trial Court. Within ten (10) days
from the filing of the complaint or information, the judge shall personally evaluate the resolution
of the prosecutor and its supporting evidence. He may immediately dismiss the case if the evidence
on record clearly fails to establish probable cause. If he finds probable cause, he shall issue a
warrant of arrest, or a commitment order if the accused has already been arrested pursuant to a
warrant issued by the judge who conducted the preliminary investigation or when the complaint or
information was filed pursuant to section 7 of this Rule. In case of doubt on the existence of
probable cause, the judge may order the prosecutor to present additional evidence within five (5)
days from notice and the issue must be resolved by the court within thirty (30) days from the filing
of the complaint of information.
In this case, the investigating prosecutor submitted to the respondent judge only his resolution
after his preliminary investigation of the case and the affidavit-complaint of the private
complainant, and failed to include the affidavits of the witnesses of the private complainant, and
the latters reply affidavit, the counter-affidavit of the petitioner, as well as the evidence adduced
by the private complainant as required by case law, and now by Section 8(a), Rule 112 of the
Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure. The aforecited affidavits, more specifically the fax message
of Lorna Tanghal and the document signed by her covering the amount of US$1,000, are of vital
importance, as they would enable the respondent judge to properly determine the existence or
non-existence of probable cause.
First. When respondent Maruyama handed the money to the petitioner, she did not require the
latter to sign a document acknowledging receipt of the amount. The petitioner avers that it is
incredible that Maruyama would entrust P3,993,500 in Japanese Yen to her without even requiring
her to sign a receipt therefor, especially since respondent Maruyama was not even the owner of
the money;
Second. The affidavit of Hermogena Santiago, a witness of the respondent, is unreliable, because
it is based on information relayed to her by Lorna Tanghal that she (Tanghal) saw the petitioner
carrying a Louis Vuitton bag while on board a Mitsubishi L300 van with the petitioner. It appears
that Tanghal failed to submit any counter-affidavit to the investigating prosecutor;
Third. The affidavit of Marilette G. Izumiya, another witness of the respondent, is also unreliable,
as it was based on information relayed to her by Thelma Barbiran, who used to work for the
petitioner as a housemaid, that she (Barbiran) had in her possession a fax message from Lorna
Tanghal, implicating the petitioner in the crime charged. Barbiran did not execute any affidavit;
Fourth. There is no indication in the resolution of the investigating prosecutor that the petitioner
received the fax message of Lorna Tanghal;
Fifth. The private complainant claims that the petitioner tried to reimburse the P3,993,500 by
remitting US$1,000 to her. However, the latter admitted in her affidavit-complaint that the
document evidencing the remittance was signed by Lorna Tanghal, not by the petitioner. The
petitioner claimed that Lorna Tanghal had to remit US$1,000 to respondent Maruyama because
the latter made it appear to Tanghal that the police authorities were about to arrest the petitioner,
and Tanghal was impelled to give the amount to respondent Maruyama to avert her arrest and
incarceration;
Sixth. In her counter-affidavit, the petitioner alleged that respondent Maruyama had no case
against her because the crime charged in the latters affidavit-complaint was the same as that filed
against her in the Metropolitan Trial Court of Bulacan, which was withdrawn by the complainant
herself;
Seventh. The investigating prosecutor stated in his resolution that the private complainant
established the element of deceit. However, the crime charged against the petitioner as alleged in
the Information is estafa with abuse of confidence.
In sum, then, we find and so declare that the respondent judge committed a grave abuse of his
discretion amounting to excess or lack of jurisdiction in finding probable cause for the petitioners
arrest in the absence of copies of the affidavits of the witnesses of the private complainant and her
reply affidavit, the counter-affidavit of the petitioner, and the evidence adduced during the
preliminary investigation before the investigating prosecutor.
In view of the foregoing disquisitions, there is no more need to resolve the other issues raised by
the petitioner.
IN LIGHT OF ALL THE FOREGOING, the petition is GRANTED. The assailed decision of
the Court of Appeals is REVERSED and SET ASIDE. The assailed Orders dated August 25 and 28,
2000 and the Warrant of Arrest issued by the respondent judge in Criminal Case No. 00-0749 are
SET ASIDE. The records are REMANDED to the Regional Trial Court of Pasay City, Branch 119. The
respondent judge is hereby DIRECTED to determine the existence or non-existence of probable
5
cause for the arrest of the petitioner based on the complete records, as required under Section
8(a), Rule 112 of the Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure.
SO ORDERED.
Quisumbing, (Acting Chairman), Austria-Martinez, and Tinga, JJ., concur.
Puno, (Chairman), J., on official leave.
G.R. No. 174629 February 14, 2008
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, Represented by THE ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING
COUNCIL (AMLC), petitioner,
vs.
HON. ANTONIO M. EUGENIO, JR., AS PRESIDING JUDGE OF RTC, MANILA, BRANCH 34,
PANTALEON ALVAREZ and LILIA CHENG, respondents.
DECISION
TINGA, J.:
The present petition for certiorari and prohibition under Rule 65 assails the orders and resolutions
issued by two different courts in two different cases. The courts and cases in question are the
Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch 24, which heard SP Case No. 06-1142001 and the Court of
Appeals, Tenth Division, which heared CA-G.R. SP No. 95198.2 Both cases arose as part of the
aftermath of the ruling of this Court in Agan v. PIATCO3 nullifying the concession agreement
awarded to the Philippine International Airport Terminal Corporation (PIATCO) over the Ninoy
Aquino International Airport – International Passenger Terminal 3 (NAIA 3) Project.
I.
Following the promulgation of Agan, a series of investigations concerning the award of the NAIA 3
contracts to PIATCO were undertaken by the Ombudsman and the Compliance and Investigation
Staff (CIS) of petitioner Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC). On 24 May 2005, the Office of the
Solicitor General (OSG) wrote the AMLC requesting the latter’s assistance "in obtaining more
evidence to completely reveal the financial trail of corruption surrounding the [NAIA 3] Project,"
and also noting that petitioner Republic of the Philippines was presently defending itself in two
international arbitration cases filed in relation to the NAIA 3 Project.4 The CIS conducted an
intelligence database search on the financial transactions of certain individuals involved in the
award, including respondent Pantaleon Alvarez (Alvarez) who had been the Chairman of the PBAC
Technical Committee, NAIA-IPT3 Project.5 By this time, Alvarez had already been charged by the
Ombudsman with violation of Section 3(j) of R.A. No. 3019. 6 The search revealed that Alvarez
maintained eight (8) bank accounts with six (6) different banks. 7
On 27 June 2005, the AMLC issued Resolution No. 75, Series of 2005,8 whereby the Council
resolved to authorize the Executive Director of the AMLC "to sign and verify an application to inquire
into and/or examine the [deposits] or investments of Pantaleon Alvarez, Wilfredo Trinidad, Alfredo
Liongson, and Cheng Yong, and their related web of accounts wherever these may be found, as
defined under Rule 10.4 of the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations;" and to authorize the
AMLC Secretariat "to conduct an inquiry into subject accounts once the Regional Trial Court grants
the application to inquire into and/or examine the bank accounts" of those four individuals. 9 The
resolution enumerated the particular bank accounts of Alvarez, Wilfredo Trinidad (Trinidad), Alfredo
Liongson (Liongson) and Cheng Yong which were to be the subject of the inquiry. 10 The rationale
for the said resolution was founded on the cited findings of the CIS that amounts were transferred
from a Hong Kong bank account owned by Jetstream Pacific Ltd. Account to bank accounts in the
Philippines maintained by Liongson and Cheng Yong. 11 The Resolution also noted that "[b]y
awarding the contract to PIATCO despite its lack of financial capacity, Pantaleon Alvarez caused
undue injury to the government by giving PIATCO unwarranted benefits, advantage, or preference
in the discharge of his official administrative functions through manifest partiality, evident bad
faith, or gross inexcusable negligence, in violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019." 12
Under the authority granted by the Resolution, the AMLC filed an application to inquire into or
examine the deposits or investments of Alvarez, Trinidad, Liongson and Cheng Yong before the
RTC of Makati, Branch 138, presided by Judge (now Court of Appeals Justice) Sixto Marella, Jr. The
application was docketed as AMLC No. 05-005.13 The Makati RTC heard the testimony of the Deputy
Director of the AMLC, Richard David C. Funk II, and received the documentary evidence of the
AMLC.14 Thereafter, on 4 July 2005, the Makati RTC rendered an Order (Makati RTC bank inquiry
order) granting the AMLC the authority to inquire and examine the subject bank accounts of
Alvarez, Trinidad, Liongson and Cheng Yong, the trial court being satisfied that there existed
"[p]robable cause [to] believe that the deposits in various bank accounts, details of which appear

in paragraph 1 of the Application, are related to the offense of violation of Anti-Graft and Corrupt
Practices Act now the subject of criminal prosecution before the Sandiganbayan as attested to by
the Informations, Exhibits C, D, E, F, and G."15 Pursuant to the Makati RTC bank inquiry order, the
CIS proceeded to inquire and examine the deposits, investments and related web accounts of the
four.16
Meanwhile, the Special Prosecutor of the Office of the Ombudsman, Dennis Villa-Ignacio, wrote a
letter dated 2 November 2005, requesting the AMLC to investigate the accounts of Alvarez, PIATCO,
and several other entities involved in the nullified contract. The letter adverted to probable cause
to believe that the bank accounts "were used in the commission of unlawful activities that were
committed" in relation to the criminal cases then pending before the Sandiganbayan. 17 Attached
to the letter was a memorandum "on why the investigation of the [accounts] is necessary in the
prosecution of the above criminal cases before the Sandiganbayan." 18
In response to the letter of the Special Prosecutor, the AMLC promulgated on 9 December 2005
Resolution No. 121 Series of 2005,19 which authorized the executive director of the AMLC to inquire
into and examine the accounts named in the letter, including one maintained by Alvarez with DBS
Bank and two other accounts in the name of Cheng Yong with Metrobank. The Resolution
characterized the memorandum attached to the Special Prosecutor’s letter as "extensively
justif[ying] the existence of probable cause that the bank accounts of the persons and entities
mentioned in the letter are related to the unlawful activity of violation of Sections 3(g) and 3(e) of
Rep. Act No. 3019, as amended."20
Following the December 2005 AMLC Resolution, the Republic, through the AMLC, filed an
application21 before the Manila RTC to inquire into and/or examine thirteen (13) accounts and two
(2) related web of accounts alleged as having been used to facilitate corruption in the NAIA 3
Project. Among said accounts were the DBS Bank account of Alvarez and the Metrobank accounts
of Cheng Yong. The case was raffled to Manila RTC, Branch 24, presided by respondent Judge
Antonio Eugenio, Jr., and docketed as SP Case No. 06-114200.
On 12 January 2006, the Manila RTC issued an Order (Manila RTC bank inquiry order) granting the
Ex Parte Application expressing therein "[that] the allegations in said application to be impressed
with merit, and in conformity with Section 11 of R.A. No. 9160, as amended, otherwise known as
the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) of 2001 and Rules 11.1 and 11.2 of the Revised
Implementing Rules and Regulations."22 Authority was thus granted to the AMLC to inquire into the
bank accounts listed therein.
On 25 January 2006, Alvarez, through counsel, entered his appearance 23 before the Manila RTC in
SP Case No. 06-114200 and filed an Urgent Motion to Stay Enforcement of Order of January 12,
2006.24 Alvarez alleged that he fortuitously learned of the bank inquiry order, which was issued
following an ex parte application, and he argued that nothing in R.A. No. 9160 authorized the AMLC
to seek the authority to inquire into bank accounts ex parte.25 The day after Alvarez filed his motion,
26 January 2006, the Manila RTC issued an Order 26 staying the enforcement of its bank inquiry
order and giving the Republic five (5) days to respond to Alvarez’s motion.
The Republic filed an Omnibus Motion for Reconsideration27 of the 26 January 2006 Manila RTC
Order and likewise sought to strike out Alvarez’s motion that led to the issuance of said order. For
his part, Alvarez filed a Reply and Motion to Dismiss28 the application for bank inquiry order. On 2
May 2006, the Manila RTC issued an Omnibus Order 29 granting the Republic’s Motion for
Reconsideration, denying Alvarez’s motion to dismiss and reinstating "in full force and effect" the
Order dated 12 January 2006. In the omnibus order, the Manila RTC reiterated that the material
allegations in the application for bank inquiry order filed by the Republic stood as "the probable
cause for the investigation and examination of the bank accounts and investments of the
respondents."30
Alvarez filed on 10 May 2006 an Urgent Motion31 expressing his apprehension that the AMLC would
immediately enforce the omnibus order and would thereby render the motion for reconsideration
he intended to file as moot and academic; thus he sought that the Republic be refrained from
enforcing the omnibus order in the meantime. Acting on this motion, the Manila RTC, on 11 May
2006, issued an Order32 requiring the OSG to file a comment/opposition and reminding the parties
that judgments and orders become final and executory upon the expiration of fifteen (15) days
from receipt thereof, as it is the period within which a motion for reconsideration could be filed.
Alvarez filed his Motion for Reconsideration 33 of the omnibus order on 15 May 2006, but the motion
was denied by the Manila RTC in an Order34 dated 5 July 2006.
On 11 July 2006, Alvarez filed an Urgent Motion and Manifestation 35 wherein he manifested having
received reliable information that the AMLC was about to implement the Manila RTC bank inquiry
order even though he was intending to appeal from it. On the premise that only a final and
executory judgment or order could be executed or implemented, Alvarez sought that the AMLC be
6
immediately ordered to refrain from enforcing the Manila RTC bank inquiry order.
On 12 July 2006, the Manila RTC, acting on Alvarez’s latest motion, issued an Order 36 directing the
AMLC "to refrain from enforcing the order dated January 12, 2006 until the expiration of the period
to appeal, without any appeal having been filed." On the same day, Alvarez filed a Notice of
Appeal37 with the Manila RTC.
On 24 July 2006, Alvarez filed an Urgent Ex Parte Motion for Clarification.38 Therein, he alleged
having learned that the AMLC had began to inquire into the bank accounts of the other persons
mentioned in the application for bank inquiry order filed by the Republic. 39 Considering that the
Manila RTC bank inquiry order was issued ex parte, without notice to those other persons, Alvarez
prayed that the AMLC be ordered to refrain from inquiring into any of the other bank deposits and
alleged web of accounts enumerated in AMLC’s application with the RTC; and that the AMLC be
directed to refrain from using, disclosing or publishing in any proceeding or venue any information
or document obtained in violation of the 11 May 2006 RTC Order. 40
On 25 July 2006, or one day after Alvarez filed his motion, the Manila RTC issued an Order 41
wherein it clarified that "the Ex Parte Order of this Court dated January 12, 2006 can not be
implemented against the deposits or accounts of any of the persons enumerated in the AMLC
Application until the appeal of movant Alvarez is finally resolved, otherwise, the appeal would be
rendered moot and academic or even nugatory." 42 In addition, the AMLC was ordered "not to
disclose or publish any information or document found or obtained in [v]iolation of the May 11,
2006 Order of this Court."43 The Manila RTC reasoned that the other persons mentioned in AMLC’s
application were not served with the court’s 12 January 2006 Order. This 25 July 2006 Manila RTC
Order is the first of the four rulings being assailed through this petition.
In response, the Republic filed an Urgent Omnibus Motion for Reconsideration 44 dated 27 July 2006,
urging that it be allowed to immediately enforce the bank inquiry order against Alvarez and that
Alvarez’s notice of appeal be expunged from the records since appeal from an order of inquiry is
disallowed under the Anti money Laundering Act (AMLA).
Meanwhile, respondent Lilia Cheng filed with the Court of Appeals a Petition for Certiorari,
Prohibition and Mandamus with Application for TRO and/or Writ of Preliminary Injunction45 dated
10 July 2006, directed against the Republic of the Philippines through the AMLC, Manila RTC Judge
Eugenio, Jr. and Makati RTC Judge Marella, Jr.. She identified herself as the wife of Cheng Yong 46
with whom she jointly owns a conjugal bank account with Citibank that is covered by the Makati
RTC bank inquiry order, and two conjugal bank accounts with Metrobank that are covered by the
Manila RTC bank inquiry order. Lilia Cheng imputed grave abuse of discretion on the part of the
Makati and Manila RTCs in granting AMLC’s ex parte applications for a bank inquiry order, arguing
among others that the ex parte applications violated her constitutional right to due process, that
the bank inquiry order under the AMLA can only be granted in connection with violations of the
AMLA and that the AMLA can not apply to bank accounts opened and transactions entered into
prior to the effectivity of the AMLA or to bank accounts located outside the Philippines. 47
On 1 August 2006, the Court of Appeals, acting on Lilia Cheng’s petition, issued a Temporary
Restraining Order48 enjoining the Manila and Makati trial courts from implementing, enforcing or
executing the respective bank inquiry orders previously issued, and the AMLC from enforcing and
implementing such orders. On even date, the Manila RTC issued an Order 49 resolving to hold in
abeyance the resolution of the urgent omnibus motion for reconsideration then pending before it
until the resolution of Lilia Cheng’s petition for certiorari with the Court of Appeals. The Court of
Appeals Resolution directing the issuance of the temporary restraining order is the second of the
four rulings assailed in the present petition.
The third assailed ruling50 was issued on 15 August 2006 by the Manila RTC, acting on the Urgent
Motion for Clarification51 dated 14 August 2006 filed by Alvarez. It appears that the 1 August 2006
Manila RTC Order had amended its previous 25 July 2006 Order by deleting the last paragraph
which stated that the AMLC "should not disclose or publish any information or document found or
obtained in violation of the May 11, 2006 Order of this Court." 52 In this new motion, Alvarez argued
that the deletion of that paragraph would allow the AMLC to implement the bank inquiry orders
and publish whatever information it might obtain thereupon even before the final orders of the
Manila RTC could become final and executory.53 In the 15 August 2006 Order, the Manila RTC
reiterated that the bank inquiry order it had issued could not be implemented or enforced by the
AMLC or any of its representatives until the appeal therefrom was finally resolved and that any
enforcement thereof would be unauthorized.54
The present Consolidated Petition 55 for certiorari and prohibition under Rule 65 was filed on 2
October 2006, assailing the two Orders of the Manila RTC dated 25 July and 15 August 2006 and
the Temporary Restraining Order dated 1 August 2006 of the Court of Appeals. Through an Urgent
Manifestation and Motion56 dated 9 October 2006, petitioner informed the Court that on 22

September 2006, the Court of Appeals hearing Lilia Cheng’s petition had granted a writ of
preliminary injunction in her favor.57 Thereafter, petitioner sought as well the nullification of the
22 September 2006 Resolution of the Court of Appeals, thereby constituting the fourth ruling
assailed in the instant petition.58
The Court had initially granted a Temporary Restraining Order 59 dated 6 October 2006 and later
on a Supplemental Temporary Restraining Order60 dated 13 October 2006 in petitioner’s favor,
enjoining the implementation of the assailed rulings of the Manila RTC and the Court of Appeals.
However, on respondents’ motion, the Court, through a Resolution 61 dated 11 December 2006,
suspended the implementation of the restraining orders it had earlier issued.
Oral arguments were held on 17 January 2007. The Court consolidated the issues for argument as
follows:
1. Did the RTC-Manila, in issuing the Orders dated 25 July 2006 and 15 August 2006 which deferred
the implementation of its Order dated 12 January 2006, and the Court of Appeals, in issuing its
Resolution dated 1 August 2006, which ordered the status quo in relation to the 1 July 2005 Order
of the RTC-Makati and the 12 January 2006 Order of the RTC-Manila, both of which authorized the
examination of bank accounts under Section 11 of Rep. Act No. 9160 (AMLA), commit grave abuse
of discretion?
(a) Is an application for an order authorizing inquiry into or examination of bank accounts or
investments under Section 11 of the AMLA ex-parte in nature or one which requires notice and
hearing?
(b) What legal procedures and standards should be observed in the conduct of the proceedings for
the issuance of said order?
(c) Is such order susceptible to legal challenges and judicial review?
2. Is it proper for this Court at this time and in this case to inquire into and pass upon the validity
of the 1 July 2005 Order of the RTC-Makati and the 12 January 2006 Order of the RTC-Manila,
considering the pendency of CA G.R. SP No. 95-198 (Lilia Cheng v. Republic) wherein the validity
of both orders was challenged?62
After the oral arguments, the parties were directed to file their respective memoranda, which they
did,63 and the petition was thereafter deemed submitted for resolution.
II.
Petitioner’s general advocacy is that the bank inquiry orders issued by the Manila and Makati RTCs
are valid and immediately enforceable whereas the assailed rulings, which effectively stayed the
enforcement of the Manila and Makati RTCs bank inquiry orders, are sullied with grave abuse of
discretion. These conclusions flow from the posture that a bank inquiry order, issued upon a finding
of probable cause, may be issued ex parte and, once issued, is immediately executory. Petitioner
further argues that the information obtained following the bank inquiry is necessarily beneficial, if
not indispensable, to the AMLC in discharging its awesome responsibility regarding the effective
implementation of the AMLA and that any restraint in the disclosure of such information to
appropriate agencies or other judicial fora would render meaningless the relief supplied by the
bank inquiry order.
Petitioner raises particular arguments questioning Lilia Cheng’s right to seek injunctive relief before
the Court of Appeals, noting that not one of the bank inquiry orders is directed against her. Her
"cryptic assertion" that she is the wife of Cheng Yong cannot, according to petitioner,
"metamorphose into the requisite legal standing to seek redress for an imagined injury or to
maintain an action in behalf of another." In the same breath, petitioner argues that Alvarez cannot
assert any violation of the right to financial privacy in behalf of other persons whose bank accounts
are being inquired into, particularly those other persons named in the Makati RTC bank inquiry
order who did not take any step to oppose such orders before the courts.
Ostensibly, the proximate question before the Court is whether a bank inquiry order issued in
accordance with Section 10 of the AMLA may be stayed by injunction. Yet in arguing that it does,
petitioner relies on what it posits as the final and immediately executory character of the bank
inquiry orders issued by the Manila and Makati RTCs. Implicit in that position is the notion that the
inquiry orders are valid, and such notion is susceptible to review and validation based on what
appears on the face of the orders and the applications which triggered their issuance, as well as
the provisions of the AMLA governing the issuance of such orders. Indeed, to test the viability of
petitioner’s argument, the Court will have to be satisfied that the subject inquiry orders are valid
in the first place. However, even from a cursory examination of the applications for inquiry order
and the orders themselves, it is evident that the orders are not in accordance with law.
III.
A brief overview of the AMLA is called for.
Money laundering has been generally defined by the International Criminal Police Organization
7
(Interpol) `as "any act or attempted act to conceal or disguise the identity of illegally obtained
proceeds so that they appear to have originated from legitimate sources." 64 Even before the
passage of the AMLA, the problem was addressed by the Philippine government through the
issuance of various circulars by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Yet ultimately, legislative
proscription was necessary, especially with the inclusion of the Philippines in the Financial Action
Task Force’s list of non-cooperative countries and territories in the fight against money
laundering.65 The original AMLA, Republic Act (R.A.) No. 9160, was passed in 2001. It was amended
by R.A. No. 9194 in 2003.
Section 4 of the AMLA states that "[m]oney laundering is a crime whereby the proceeds of an
unlawful activity as [defined in the law] are transacted, thereby making them appear to have
originated from legitimate sources."66 The section further provides the three modes through which
the crime of money laundering is committed. Section 7 creates the AMLC and defines its powers,
which generally relate to the enforcement of the AMLA provisions and the initiation of legal actions
authorized in the AMLA such as civil forefeiture proceedings and complaints for the prosecution of
money laundering offenses.67
In addition to providing for the definition and penalties for the crime of money laundering, the
AMLA also authorizes certain provisional remedies that would aid the AMLC in the enforcement of
the AMLA. These are the "freeze order" authorized under Section 10, and the "bank inquiry order"
authorized under Section 11.
Respondents posit that a bank inquiry order under Section 11 may be obtained only upon the pre-
existence of a money laundering offense case already filed before the courts. 68 The conclusion is
based on the phrase "upon order of any competent court in cases of violation of this Act," the word
"cases" generally understood as referring to actual cases pending with the courts.
We are unconvinced by this proposition, and agree instead with the then Solicitor General who
conceded that the use of the phrase "in cases of" was unfortunate, yet submitted that it should be
interpreted to mean "in the event there are violations" of the AMLA, and not that there are already
cases pending in court concerning such violations.69 If the contrary position is adopted, then the
bank inquiry order would be limited in purpose as a tool in aid of litigation of live cases, and wholly
inutile as a means for the government to ascertain whether there is sufficient evidence to sustain
an intended prosecution of the account holder for violation of the AMLA. Should that be the
situation, in all likelihood the AMLC would be virtually deprived of its character as a discovery tool,
and thus would become less circumspect in filing complaints against suspect account holders. After
all, under such set-up the preferred strategy would be to allow or even encourage the
indiscriminate filing of complaints under the AMLA with the hope or expectation that the evidence
of money laundering would somehow surface during the trial. Since the AMLC could not make use
of the bank inquiry order to determine whether there is evidentiary basis to prosecute the
suspected malefactors, not filing any case at all would not be an alternative. Such unwholesome
set-up should not come to pass. Thus Section 11 cannot be interpreted in a way that would
emasculate the remedy it has established and encourage the unfounded initiation of complaints for
money laundering.
Still, even if the bank inquiry order may be availed of without need of a pre-existing case under
the AMLA, it does not follow that such order may be availed of ex parte. There are several reasons
why the AMLA does not generally sanction ex parte applications and issuances of the bank inquiry
order.
IV.
It is evident that Section 11 does not specifically authorize, as a general rule, the issuance ex parte
of the bank inquiry order. We quote the provision in full:
SEC. 11. Authority to Inquire into Bank Deposits. ― Notwithstanding the provisions of
Republic Act No. 1405, as amended, Republic Act No. 6426, as amended, Republic Act No. 8791,
and other laws, the AMLC may inquire into or examine any particular deposit or investment with
any banking institution or non bank financial institution upon order of any competent court in cases
of violation of this Act, when it has been established that there is probable cause that the
deposits or investments are related to an unlawful activity as defined in Section 3(i)
hereof or a money laundering offense under Section 4 hereof, except that no court order
shall be required in cases involving unlawful activities defined in Sections 3(i)1, (2) and
(12).
To ensure compliance with this Act, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) may inquire into or
examine any deposit of investment with any banking institution or non bank financial institution
when the examination is made in the course of a periodic or special examination, in accordance
with the rules of examination of the BSP.70 (Emphasis supplied)
Of course, Section 11 also allows the AMLC to inquire into bank accounts without having to obtain

a judicial order in cases where there is probable cause that the deposits or investments are related
to kidnapping for ransom,71 certain violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of
2002,72 hijacking and other violations under R.A. No. 6235, destructive arson and murder. Since
such special circumstances do not apply in this case, there is no need for us to pass comment on
this proviso. Suffice it to say, the proviso contemplates a situation distinct from that which
presently confronts us, and for purposes of the succeeding discussion, our reference to Section 11
of the AMLA excludes said proviso.
In the instances where a court order is required for the issuance of the bank inquiry order, nothing
in Section 11 specifically authorizes that such court order may be issued ex parte. It might be
argued that this silence does not preclude the ex parte issuance of the bank inquiry order since
the same is not prohibited under Section 11. Yet this argument falls when the immediately
preceding provision, Section 10, is examined.
SEC. 10. Freezing of Monetary Instrument or Property. ― The Court of Appeals, upon
application ex parte by the AMLC and after determination that probable cause exists that any
monetary instrument or property is in any way related to an unlawful activity as defined in Section
3(i) hereof, may issue a freeze order which shall be effective immediately. The freeze order
shall be for a period of twenty (20) days unless extended by the court. 73
Although oriented towards different purposes, the freeze order under Section 10 and the bank
inquiry order under Section 11 are similar in that they are extraordinary provisional reliefs which
the AMLC may avail of to effectively combat and prosecute money laundering offenses. Crucially,
Section 10 uses specific language to authorize an ex parte application for the provisional relief
therein, a circumstance absent in Section 11. If indeed the legislature had intended to authorize
ex parte proceedings for the issuance of the bank inquiry order, then it could have easily expressed
such intent in the law, as it did with the freeze order under Section 10.
Even more tellingly, the current language of Sections 10 and 11 of the AMLA was crafted at the
same time, through the passage of R.A. No. 9194. Prior to the amendatory law, it was the AMLC,
not the Court of Appeals, which had authority to issue a freeze order, whereas a bank inquiry order
always then required, without exception, an order from a competent court. 74 It was through the
same enactment that ex parte proceedings were introduced for the first time into the AMLA, in the
case of the freeze order which now can only be issued by the Court of Appeals. It certainly would
have been convenient, through the same amendatory law, to allow a similar ex parte procedure in
the case of a bank inquiry order had Congress been so minded. Yet nothing in the provision itself,
or even the available legislative record, explicitly points to an ex parte judicial procedure in the
application for a bank inquiry order, unlike in the case of the freeze order.
That the AMLA does not contemplate ex parte proceedings in applications for bank inquiry orders
is confirmed by the present implementing rules and regulations of the AMLA, promulgated upon
the passage of R.A. No. 9194. With respect to freeze orders under Section 10, the implementing
rules do expressly provide that the applications for freeze orders be filed ex parte,75 but no similar
clearance is granted in the case of inquiry orders under Section 11. 76 These implementing rules
were promulgated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Insurance Commission and the Securities
and Exchange Commission,77 and if it was the true belief of these institutions that inquiry orders
could be issued ex parte similar to freeze orders, language to that effect would have been
incorporated in the said Rules. This is stressed not because the implementing rules could authorize
ex parte applications for inquiry orders despite the absence of statutory basis, but rather because
the framers of the law had no intention to allow such ex parte applications.
Even the Rules of Procedure adopted by this Court in A.M. No. 05-11-04-SC78 to enforce the
provisions of the AMLA specifically authorize ex parte applications with respect to freeze orders
under Section 1079 but make no similar authorization with respect to bank inquiry orders under
Section 11.
The Court could divine the sense in allowing ex parte proceedings under Section 10 and in
proscribing the same under Section 11. A freeze order under Section 10 on the one hand is aimed
at preserving monetary instruments or property in any way deemed related to unlawful activities
as defined in Section 3(i) of the AMLA. The owner of such monetary instruments or property would
thus be inhibited from utilizing the same for the duration of the freeze order. To make such freeze
order anteceded by a judicial proceeding with notice to the account holder would allow for or lead
to the dissipation of such funds even before the order could be issued.
On the other hand, a bank inquiry order under Section 11 does not necessitate any form of physical
seizure of property of the account holder. What the bank inquiry order authorizes is the
examination of the particular deposits or investments in banking institutions or non-bank financial
institutions. The monetary instruments or property deposited with such banks or financial
institutions are not seized in a physical sense, but are examined on particular details such as the
8
account holder’s record of deposits and transactions. Unlike the assets subject of the freeze order,
the records to be inspected under a bank inquiry order cannot be physically seized or hidden by
the account holder. Said records are in the possession of the bank and therefore cannot be
destroyed at the instance of the account holder alone as that would require the extraordinary
cooperation and devotion of the bank.
Interestingly, petitioner’s memorandum does not attempt to demonstrate before the Court that
the bank inquiry order under Section 11 may be issued ex parte, although the petition itself did
devote some space for that argument. The petition argues that the bank inquiry order is "a special
and peculiar remedy, drastic in its name, and made necessary because of a public necessity…
[t]hus, by its very nature, the application for an order or inquiry must necessarily, be ex parte."
This argument is insufficient justification in light of the clear disinclination of Congress to allow the
issuance ex parte of bank inquiry orders under Section 11, in contrast to the legislature’s clear
inclination to allow the ex parte grant of freeze orders under Section 10.
Without doubt, a requirement that the application for a bank inquiry order be done with notice to
the account holder will alert the latter that there is a plan to inspect his bank account on the belief
that the funds therein are involved in an unlawful activity or money laundering offense. 80 Still, the
account holder so alerted will in fact be unable to do anything to conceal or cleanse his bank
account records of suspicious or anomalous transactions, at least not without the whole-hearted
cooperation of the bank, which inherently has no vested interest to aid the account holder in such
manner.
V.
The necessary implication of this finding that Section 11 of the AMLA does not generally authorize
the issuance ex parte of the bank inquiry order would be that such orders cannot be issued unless
notice is given to the owners of the account, allowing them the opportunity to contest the issuance
of the order. Without such a consequence, the legislated distinction between ex parte proceedings
under Section 10 and those which are not ex parte under Section 11 would be lost and rendered
useless.
There certainly is fertile ground to contest the issuance of an ex parte order. Section 11 itself
requires that it be established that "there is probable cause that the deposits or investments are
related to unlawful activities," and it obviously is the court which stands as arbiter whether there
is indeed such probable cause. The process of inquiring into the existence of probable cause would
involve the function of determination reposed on the trial court. Determination clearly implies a
function of adjudication on the part of the trial court, and not a mechanical application of a standard
pre-determination by some other body. The word "determination" implies deliberation and is, in
normal legal contemplation, equivalent to "the decision of a court of justice." 81
The court receiving the application for inquiry order cannot simply take the AMLC’s word that
probable cause exists that the deposits or investments are related to an unlawful activity. It will
have to exercise its
own determinative function in order to be convinced of such fact. The account holder would be
certainly capable of contesting such probable cause if given the opportunity to be apprised of the
pending application to inquire into his account; hence a notice requirement would not be an empty
spectacle. It may be so that the process of obtaining the inquiry order may become more
cumbersome or prolonged because of the notice requirement, yet we fail to see any unreasonable
burden cast by such circumstance. After all, as earlier stated, requiring notice to the account holder
should not, in any way, compromise the integrity of the bank records subject of the inquiry which
remain in the possession and control of the bank.
Petitioner argues that a bank inquiry order necessitates a finding of probable cause, a characteristic
similar to a search warrant which is applied to and heard ex parte. We have examined the supposed
analogy between a search warrant and a bank inquiry order yet we remain to be unconvinced by
petitioner.
The Constitution and the Rules of Court prescribe particular requirements attaching to search
warrants that are not imposed by the AMLA with respect to bank inquiry orders. A constitutional
warrant requires that the judge personally examine under oath or affirmation the complainant and
the witnesses he may produce,82 such examination being in the form of searching questions and
answers.83 Those are impositions which the legislative did not specifically prescribe as to the bank
inquiry order under the AMLA, and we cannot find sufficient legal basis to apply them to Section
11 of the AMLA. Simply put, a bank inquiry order is not a search warrant or warrant of arrest as it
contemplates a direct object but not the seizure of persons or property.
Even as the Constitution and the Rules of Court impose a high procedural standard for the
determination of probable cause for the issuance of search warrants which Congress chose not to
prescribe for the bank inquiry order under the AMLA, Congress nonetheless disallowed ex parte

applications for the inquiry order. We can discern that in exchange for these procedural standards
normally applied to search warrants, Congress chose instead to legislate a right to notice and a
right to be heard— characteristics of judicial proceedings which are not ex parte. Absent any
demonstrable constitutional infirmity, there is no reason for us to dispute such legislative policy
choices.
VI.
The Court’s construction of Section 11 of the AMLA is undoubtedly influenced by right to privacy
considerations. If sustained, petitioner’s argument that a bank account may be inspected by the
government following an ex parte proceeding about which the depositor would know nothing would
have significant implications on the right to privacy, a right innately cherished by all
notwithstanding the legally recognized exceptions thereto. The notion that the government could
be so empowered is cause for concern of any individual who values the right to privacy which, after
all, embodies even the right to be "let
alone," the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized people. 84
One might assume that the constitutional dimension of the right to privacy, as applied to bank
deposits, warrants our present inquiry. We decline to do so. Admittedly, that question has proved
controversial in American jurisprudence. Notably, the United States Supreme Court in U.S. v.
Miller85 held that there was no legitimate expectation of privacy as to the bank records of a
depositor.86 Moreover, the text of our Constitution has not bothered with the triviality of allocating
specific rights peculiar to bank deposits.
However, sufficient for our purposes, we can assert there is a right to privacy governing bank
accounts in the Philippines, and that such right finds application to the case at bar. The source of
such right is statutory, expressed as it is in R.A. No. 1405 otherwise known as the Bank Secrecy
Act of 1955. The right to privacy is enshrined in Section 2 of that law, to wit:
SECTION 2. All deposits of whatever nature with banks or banking institutions in the
Philippines including investments in bonds issued by the Government of the Philippines,
its political subdivisions and its instrumentalities, are hereby considered as of an
absolutely confidential nature and may not be examined, inquired or looked into by any person,
government official, bureau or office, except upon written permission of the depositor, or in cases
of impeachment, or upon order of a competent court in cases of bribery or dereliction of duty of
public officials, or in cases where the money deposited or invested is the subject matter of the
litigation. (Emphasis supplied)
Because of the Bank Secrecy Act, the confidentiality of bank deposits remains a basic state policy
in the Philippines.87 Subsequent laws, including the AMLA, may have added exceptions to the Bank
Secrecy Act, yet the secrecy of bank deposits still lies as the general rule. It falls within the zones
of privacy recognized by our laws. 88 The framers of the 1987 Constitution likewise recognized that
bank accounts are not covered by either the right to information 89 under Section 7, Article III or
under the requirement of full public disclosure 90 under Section 28, Article II.91 Unless the Bank
Secrecy Act is repealed or
amended, the legal order is obliged to conserve the absolutely confidential nature of Philippine
bank deposits.
Any exception to the rule of absolute confidentiality must be specifically legislated. Section 2 of the
Bank Secrecy Act itself prescribes exceptions whereby these bank accounts may be examined by
"any person, government official, bureau or office"; namely when: (1) upon written permission of
the depositor; (2) in cases of impeachment; (3) the examination of bank accounts is upon order
of a competent court in cases of bribery or dereliction of duty of public officials; and (4) the money
deposited or invested is the subject matter of the litigation. Section 8 of R.A. Act No. 3019, the
Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, has been recognized by this Court as constituting an additional
exception to the rule of absolute confidentiality, 92 and there have been other similar recognitions
as well.93
The AMLA also provides exceptions to the Bank Secrecy Act. Under Section 11, the AMLC may
inquire into a bank account upon order of any competent court in cases of violation of the AMLA,
it having been established that there is probable cause that the deposits or investments are related
to unlawful activities as defined in Section 3(i) of the law, or a money laundering offense under
Section 4 thereof. Further, in instances where there is probable cause that the deposits or
investments are related to kidnapping for ransom, 94 certain violations of the Comprehensive
Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002,95 hijacking and other violations under R.A. No. 6235, destructive
arson and murder, then there is no need for the AMLC to obtain a court order before it could inquire
into such accounts.
It cannot be successfully argued the proceedings relating to the bank inquiry order under Section
11 of the AMLA is a "litigation" encompassed in one of the exceptions to the Bank Secrecy Act
9
which is when "the money deposited or invested is the subject matter of the litigation." The
orientation of the bank inquiry order is simply to serve as a provisional relief or remedy. As earlier
stated, the application for such does not entail a full-blown trial.
Nevertheless, just because the AMLA establishes additional exceptions to the Bank Secrecy Act it
does not mean that the later law has dispensed with the general principle established in the older
law that "[a]ll deposits of whatever nature with banks or banking institutions in the Philippines x x
x are hereby considered as of an absolutely confidential nature." 96 Indeed, by force of statute, all
bank deposits are absolutely confidential, and that nature is unaltered even by the legislated
exceptions referred to above. There is disfavor towards construing these exceptions in such a
manner that would authorize unlimited discretion on the part of the government or of any party
seeking to enforce those exceptions and inquire into bank deposits. If there are doubts in upholding
the absolutely confidential nature of bank deposits against affirming the authority to inquire into
such accounts, then such doubts must be resolved in favor of the former. Such a stance would
persist unless Congress passes a law reversing the general state policy of preserving the absolutely
confidential nature of Philippine bank accounts.
The presence of this statutory right to privacy addresses at least one of the arguments raised by
petitioner, that Lilia Cheng had no personality to assail the inquiry orders before the Court of
Appeals because she was not the subject of said orders. AMLC Resolution No. 75, which served as
the basis in the successful application for the Makati inquiry order, expressly adverts to Citibank
Account No. 88576248 "owned by Cheng Yong and/or Lilia G. Cheng with Citibank N.A.," 97 whereas
Lilia Cheng’s petition before the Court of Appeals is accompanied by a certification from Metrobank
that Account Nos. 300852436-0 and 700149801-7, both of which are among the subjects of the
Manila inquiry order, are accounts in the name of "Yong Cheng or Lilia Cheng." 98 Petitioner does
not specifically deny that Lilia Cheng holds rights of ownership over the three said accounts, laying
focus instead on the fact that she was not named as a subject of either the Makati or Manila RTC
inquiry orders. We are reasonably convinced that Lilia Cheng has sufficiently demonstrated her
joint ownership of the three accounts, and such conclusion leads us to acknowledge that she has
the standing to assail via certiorari the inquiry orders authorizing the examination of her bank
accounts as the orders interfere with her statutory right to maintain the secrecy of said accounts.
While petitioner would premise that the inquiry into Lilia Cheng’s accounts finds root in Section 11
of the AMLA, it cannot be denied that the authority to inquire under Section 11 is only exceptional
in character, contrary as it is to the general rule preserving the secrecy of bank deposits. Even
though she may not have been the subject of the inquiry orders, her bank accounts nevertheless
were, and she thus has the standing to vindicate the right to secrecy that attaches to said accounts
and their owners. This statutory right to privacy will not prevent the courts from authorizing the
inquiry anyway upon the fulfillment of the requirements set forth under Section 11 of the AMLA or
Section 2 of the Bank Secrecy Act; at the same time, the owner of the accounts have the right to
challenge whether the requirements were indeed complied with.
VII.
There is a final point of concern which needs to be addressed. Lilia Cheng argues that the AMLA,
being a substantive penal statute, has no retroactive effect and the bank inquiry order could not
apply to deposits or investments opened prior to the effectivity of Rep. Act No. 9164, or on 17
October 2001. Thus, she concludes, her subject bank accounts, opened between 1989 to 1990,
could not be the subject of the bank inquiry order lest there be a violation of the constitutional
prohibition against ex post facto laws.
No ex post facto law may be enacted,99 and no law may be construed in such fashion as to permit
a criminal prosecution offensive to the ex post facto clause. As applied to the AMLA, it is plain that
no person may be prosecuted under the penal provisions of the AMLA for acts committed prior to
the enactment of the law on 17 October 2001. As much was understood by the lawmakers since
they deliberated upon the AMLA, and indeed there is no serious dispute on that point.
Does the proscription against ex post facto laws apply to the interpretation of Section 11, a
provision which does not provide for a penal sanction but which merely authorizes the inspection
of suspect accounts and deposits? The answer is in the affirmative. In this jurisdiction, we have
defined an ex post facto law as one which either:
(1) makes criminal an act done before the passage of the law and which was innocent when done,
and punishes such an act;
(2) aggravates a crime, or makes it greater than it was, when committed;
(3) changes the punishment and inflicts a greater punishment than the law annexed to the crime
when committed;
(4) alters the legal rules of evidence, and authorizes conviction upon less or different testimony
than the law required at the time of the commission of the offense;
 10
(5) assuming to regulate civil rights and remedies only, in effect imposes penalty or deprivation of
a right for something which when done was lawful; and
(6) deprives a person accused of a crime of some lawful protection to which he has
become entitled, such as the protection of a former conviction or acquittal, or a
proclamation of amnesty. (Emphasis supplied)100
Prior to the enactment of the AMLA, the fact that bank accounts or deposits were involved in
activities later on enumerated in Section 3 of the law did not, by itself, remove such accounts from
the shelter of absolute confidentiality. Prior to the AMLA, in order that bank accounts could be
examined, there was need to secure either the written permission of the depositor or a court order
authorizing such examination, assuming that they were involved in cases of bribery or dereliction
of duty of public officials, or in a case where the money deposited or invested was itself the subject
matter of the litigation. The passage of the AMLA stripped another layer off the rule on absolute
confidentiality that provided a measure of lawful protection to the account holder. For that reason,
the application of the bank inquiry order as a means of inquiring into records of transactions
entered into prior to the passage of the AMLA would be constitutionally infirm, offensive as it is to
the ex post facto clause.
Still, we must note that the position submitted by Lilia Cheng is much broader than what we are
willing to affirm. She argues that the proscription against ex post facto laws goes as far as to
prohibit any inquiry into deposits or investments included in bank accounts opened prior to the
effectivity of the AMLA even if the suspect transactions were entered into when the law had already
taken effect. The Court recognizes that if this argument were to be affirmed, it would create a
horrible loophole in the AMLA that would in turn supply the means to fearlessly engage in money
laundering in the Philippines; all that the criminal has to do is to make sure that the money
laundering activity is facilitated through a bank account opened prior to 2001. Lilia Cheng admits
that "actual money launderers could utilize the ex post facto provision of the Constitution as a
shield" but that the remedy lay with Congress to amend the law. We can hardly presume that
Congress intended to enact a self-defeating law in the first place, and the courts are inhibited from
such a construction by the cardinal rule that "a law should be interpreted with a view to upholding
rather than destroying it."101
Besides, nowhere in the legislative record cited by Lilia Cheng does it appear that there was an
unequivocal intent to exempt from the bank inquiry order all bank accounts opened prior to the
passage of the AMLA. There is a cited exchange between Representatives Ronaldo Zamora and
Jaime Lopez where the latter confirmed to the former that "deposits are supposed to be exempted
from scrutiny or monitoring if they are already in place as of the time the law is enacted."102 That
statement does indicate that transactions already in place when the AMLA was passed are indeed
exempt from scrutiny through a bank inquiry order, but it cannot yield any interpretation that
records of transactions undertaken after the enactment of the AMLA are similarly exempt. Due to
the absence of cited authority from the legislative record that unqualifiedly supports respondent
Lilia Cheng’s thesis, there is no cause for us to sustain her interpretation of the AMLA, fatal as it is
to the anima of that law.
IX.
We are well aware that Lilia Cheng’s petition presently pending before the Court of Appeals likewise
assails the validity of the subject bank inquiry orders and precisely seeks the annulment of said
orders. Our current declarations may indeed have the effect of preempting that0 petition. Still, in
order for this Court to rule on the petition at bar which insists on the enforceability of the said bank
inquiry orders, it is necessary for us to consider and rule on the same question which after all is a
pure question of law.
WHEREFORE, the PETITION is DISMISSED. No pronouncement as to costs.
SO ORDERED.