G.R. No.

189081, August 10, 2016

GLORIA S. DY, Petitioner, v. PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES, MANDY COMMODITIES CO., INC.,
REPRESENTED BY ITS PRESIDENT, WILLIAM MANDY, Respondent.

DECISION

JARDELEZA, J.:

Our law states that every person criminally liable for a felony is also civilly liable. This civil liability ex
delicto may be recovered through a civil action which, under our Rules of Court, is deemed instituted with
the criminal action. While they are actions mandatorily fused,1 they are, in truth, separate actions whose
existences are not dependent on each other. Thus, civil liability ex delicto survives an acquittal in a criminal
case for failure to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. However, the Rules of Court limits this mandatory
fusion to a civil action for the recovery of civil liability ex delicto. It, by no means, includes a civil liability
arising from a different source of obligation, as in the case of a contract. Where the civil liability is ex
contractu, the court hearing the criminal case has no authority to award damages.

The Case

This is a Petition for Review on Certiorari under Rule 45 of the Rules of Court. Petitioner Gloria S. Dy
(petitioner) seeks the reversal of the decision of the Court of Appeals (CA) dated February 25, 2009
(Assailed Decision)2 ordering her to pay Mandy Commodities Company, Inc. (MCCI) in the amount of
P21,706,281.00.3 chanroble slaw

The Facts

Petitioner was the former General Manager of MCCL. In the course of her employment, petitioner assisted
MCCI in its business involving several properties. One such business pertained to the construction of
warehouses over a property (Numancia Property) that MCCI leased from the Philippine National Bank (PNB).
Sometime in May 1996, in pursuit of MCCI's business, petitioner proposed to William Mandy (Mandy),
President of MCCI, the purchase of a property owned by Pantranco. As the transaction involved a large
amount of money, Mandy agreed to obtain a loan from the International China Bank of Commerce (ICBC).
Petitioner represented that she could facilitate the approval of the loan. True enough, ICBC granted a loan to
MCCI in the amount of P20,000,000.00, evidenced by a promissory note. As security, MCCI also executed a
chattel mortgage over the warehouses in the Numancia Property. Mandy entrusted petitioner with the
obligation to manage the payment of the loan.4 chanrobles law

In February 1999, MCCI received a notice of foreclosure over the mortgaged property due to its default in
paying the loan obligation.5 In order to prevent the foreclosure, Mandy instructed petitioner to facilitate the
payment of the loan. MCCI, through Mandy, issued 13 Allied Bank checks and 12 Asia Trust Bank checks in
varying amounts and in different dates covering the period from May 18, 1999 to April 4, 2000.6 The total
amount of the checks, which were all payable to cash, was P21,706,281.00. Mandy delivered the checks to
petitioner. Mandy claims that he delivered the checks with the instruction that petitioner use the checks to
pay the loan.7 Petitioner, on the other hand, testified that she encashed the checks and returned the money
to Mandy.8 ICBC eventually foreclosed the mortgaged property as MCCI continued to default in its obligation
to pay. Mandy claims that it was only at this point in time that he discovered that not a check was paid to
ICBC.9 chanroble slaw

Thus, on October 7, 2002, MCCI, represented by Mandy, filed a Compiamt-Affidavit for Estafa10 before the
Office of the City Prosecutor of Manila. On March 3, 2004, an Information11 was filed against petitioner
before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Manila.

After a full-blown trial, the RTC Manila rendered a decision12 dated November 11, 2005 (RTC Decision)
acquitting petitioner. The RTC Manila found that while petitioner admitted that she received the checks, the
prosecution failed to establish that she was under any obligation to deliver them to ICBC in payment of
MCCFs loan. The trial court made this finding on the strength of Mandy's admission that he gave the checks
to petitioner with the agreement that she would encash them. Petitioner would then pay ICBC using her own
checks. The trial court further made a finding that Mandy and petitioner entered into a contract of
loan.13 Thus, it held that the prosecution failed to establish an important element of the crime of estafa—
misappropriation or conversion. However, while the RTC Manila acquitted petitioner, it ordered her to pay
the amount of the checks. The dispositive portion of the RTC Decision states —
WHEREFORE, the prosecution having failed to establish the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt,
judgment is hereby rendered ACQUITTING the accused of the offense charged. With costs de officio.

The accused is however civilly liable to the complainant for the amount of P21,706,281.00.

SO ORDERED.14 chanroblesv irtuallawl ib rary

Petitioner filed an appeal15 of the civil aspect of the RTC Decision with the CA. In the Assailed Decision,16 the
CA found the appeal without merit. It held that the acquittal of petitioner does not necessarily absolve her of
civil liability. The CA said that it is settled that when an accused is acquitted on the basis of reasonable
doubt, courts may still find him or her civilly liable if the evidence so warrant. The CA explained that the
evidence on record adequately prove that petitioner received the checks as a loan from MCCI. Thus,
preventing the latter from recovering the amount of the checks would constitute unjust enrichment. Hence,
the Assailed Decision ruled
WHEREFORE, in view of the foregoing, the appeal is DENIED. The Decision dated November 11, 2005 of the
Regional Trial Court, Manila, Branch 33 in Criminal Case No. 04-224294 which found Gloria Dy civilly liable
to William Mandy is AFFIRMED.

SO ORDERED.17 chanroblesv irt uallawl ibra ry

The CA also denied petitioner's motion for reconsideration in a resolution18 dated August 3, 2009.

Hence, this Petition for Review on Certiorari (Petition). Petitioner argues that since she was acquitted for
failure of the prosecution to prove all the elements of the crime charged, there was therefore no crime
committed.19 As there was no crime, any civil liability ex delicto cannot be awarded.

The Issues

The central issue is the propriety of making a finding of civil liability in a criminal case for estafa when the
accused is acquitted for failure of the prosecution to prove all the elements of the crime charged.

The Ruling of the Court

We grant the petition.

Civil Liability Arising From Crime

Our laws recognize a bright line distinction between criminal and civil liabilities. A crime is a liability against
the state. It is prosecuted by and for the state. Acts considered criminal are penalized by law as a means to
protect the society from dangerous transgressions. As criminal liability involves a penalty affecting a
person's liberty, acts are only treated criminal when the law clearly says so. On the other hand, civil
liabilities take a less public and more private nature. Civil liabilities are claimed through civil actions as a
means to enforce or protect a right or prevent or redress a wrong.20 They do not carry with them the
imposition of imprisonment as a penalty. Instead, civil liabilities are compensated in the form of damages.

Nevertheless, our jurisdiction recognizes that a crime has a private civil component. Thus, while an act
considered criminal is a breach of law against the State, our legal system allows for the recovery of civil
damages where there is a private person injured by a criminal act. It is in recognition of this dual nature of a
criminal act that our Revised Penal Code provides that every person criminally liable is also civilly
liable.21 This is the concept of civil liability ex delicto.

This is echoed by the New Civil Code when it recognizes acts or omissions punished by law as a separate
source of obligation.22 This is reinforced by Article 30 of the same code which refers to the filing of a
separate civil action to demand civil liability arising from a criminal offense.23 chanro bleslaw

The Revised Penal Code fleshes out this civil liability in Article 10424 which states that it includes restitution,
reparation of damage caused and indemnification for consequential damages.

Rules of procedure for criminal and civil actions involving the same act or omission

The law and the rules of procedure provide for a precise mechanism in instituting a civil action pertaining to
an act or omission which is also subject of a criminal case. Our Rules of Court prescribes a kind of fusion
such that, subject to certain defined qualifications, when a criminal action is instituted, the civil action for
the recovery of the civil liability arising from the offense is deemed instituted as well.25 cralaw redc hanrobles law

However, there is an important difference between civil and criminal proceedings that require a fine
distinction as to how these twin actions shall proceed. These two proceedings involve two different
standards of proof. A criminal action requires proof of guilt beyond reasonable doubt while a civil action
requires a lesser quantum of proof, that of preponderance of evidence. This distinction also agrees with the
essential principle in our legal system that while a criminal liability carries with it a corresponding civil
liability, they are nevertheless separate and distinct. In other words, these two liabilities may co-exist but
their existence is not dependent on each other.26 chanroble slaw

The Civil Code states that when an accused in a criminal prosecution is acquitted on the ground that his guilt
has not been proven beyond reasonable doubt, a civil action for damages for the same act or omission may
be filed. In the latter case, only preponderance of evidence is required.27 This is supported by the Rules of
Court which provides that the extinction of the criminal action does not result in the extinction of the
corresponding civil action.28 The latter may only be extinguished when there is a "finding in a final judgment
in the criminal action that the act or omission from which the civil liability may arise did not
exist."29 Consistent with this, the Rules of Court requires that in judgments of acquittal the court must state
whether "the evidence of the prosecution absolutely failed to prove the guilt of the accused or merely failed
to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt. In either case, the judgment shall determine if the act or
omission from which the civil liability might arise did not exist."30 chanro bles law

Thus, whether an exoneration from the criminal action should affect the corresponding civil action depends
on the varying kinds of acquittal. In Manantan v. Court of Appeals,31 we explained —
Our law recognizes two kinds of acquittal, with different effects on the civil liability of the accused. First is an
acquittal on the ground that the accused is not the author of the act or omission complained of. This
instance closes the door to civil liability, for a person who has been found to be not the perpetrator of any
act or omission cannot and can never be held liable for such act or omission. There being no delict civil
liability ex delicto is out of the question, and the civil action, if any, which may be instituted must be based
on grounds other than the delict complained of. This is the situation contemplated in Rule 111 of the Rules
of Court. The second instance is an acquittal based on reasonable doubt on the guilt of the accused. In this
case, even if the guilt of the accused has not been satisfactorily established, he is not exempt from civil
liability which may be proved by preponderance of evidence only. This is the situation contemplated in
Article 29 of the Civil Code, where the civil action for damages is "for the same act or omission." Although
the two actions have different purposes, the matters discussed in the civil case are similar to those
discussed in the criminal case. However, the judgment In the criminal proceeding cannot be read in
evidence In the civil action to establish any fact there determined, even though both actions involve the
same act or omission. The reason for this rule is that the parties are not the same and secondarily, different
rules of evidence are applicable. Hence, notwithstanding herein petitioner's acquittal, the Court of Appeals in
determining whether Article 29 applied, was not precluded from looking into the question of petitioner's
negligence or reckless imprudence.32 chan roble svirtual lawlib rary

In Dayap v. Sendiong,33 we further said —

The acquittal of the accused does not automatically preclude a judgment against him on the civil aspect of
the case. The extinction of the penal action does not carry with it the extinction of the civil liability where:
(a) the acquittal is based on reasonable doubt as only preponderance of evidence is required; (b) the court
declares that the liability of the accused is only civil; and (c) the civil liability of the accused does not arise
from or is not based upon the crime of which the accused is acquitted. However, the civil action based on
delict may be deemed extinguished if mere is a finding on the final judgment in the criminal action that the
act or omission from which the civil liability may arise did not exist or where the accused did not commit the
acts or omission imputed to him.34 chan roble svirtuallaw lib rary

Hence, a civil action filed for the purpose of enforcing civil liability ex delicto, even if mandatorily instituted
with the corresponding criminal action, survives an acquittal when it is based on the presence of reasonable
doubt. In these instances, while the evidence presented does not establish the fact of the crime with moral
certainty, the civil action still prevails for as long as the greater weight of evidence tilts in favor of a finding
of liability. This means that while the mind of the court cannot rest easy in penalizing the accused for the
commission of a crime, it nevertheless finds that he or she committed or omitted to perform acts which
serve as a separate source of obligation. There is no sufficient proof that the act or omission is criminal
beyond reasonable doubt, but there is a preponderance of evidence to show that the act or omission caused
injury which demands compensation.
Civil Liability Ex Delicto in Estafa Cases

Our laws penalize criminal fraud which causes damage capable of pecuniary estimation through estafa under
Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code. In general, the elements of estafa are: ChanRoblesVirtualawl ibra ry

(1) That the accused defrauded another (a) by abuse of confidence, or

(b) by means of deceit; and

(2) That damage or prejudice capable of pecuniary estimation is caused

to the offended party or third person.
The essence of the crime is the unlawful abuse of confidence or deceit in order to cause damage. As this
Court previously held, "the element of fraud or bad faith is indispensable."35 Our law abhors the act of
defrauding another person by abusing his trust or deceiving him, such that, it criminalizes this kind of fraud.

Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code identifies the circumstances which constitute estafa. Article 315,
paragraph 1 (b) states that estafa is committed by abuse of confidence —
Art. 315. Swindling (estafa) - x x x (b) By misappropriating or converting, to the prejudice of another,
money, goods, or any other personal property received by the offender in trust or on commission, or for
administration, or under any other obligation involving the duty to make delivery of or to return the same,
even though such obligation be totally or partially guaranteed by a bond; or by denying having received
such money, goods, or other property.
In this kind of estafa, the fraud which the law considers as criminal is the act of misappropriation or
conversion. When the element of misappropriation or conversion is missing, there can be no estafa. In such
case, applying the foregoing discussions on civil liability ex delicto, there can be no civil liability as there is
no act or omission from which any civil liability may be sourced. However, when an accused is acquitted
because a reasonable doubt exists as to the existence of misappropriation or conversion, then civil liability
may still be awarded. This means that, while there is evidence to prove fraud, such evidence does not
suffice to convince the court to the point of moral certainty that the act of fraud amounts to estafa. As the
act was nevertheless proven, albeit without sufficient proof justifying the imposition of any criminal penalty,
civil liability exists.

In this case, the RTC Manila acquitted petitioner because the prosecution failed to establish by sufficient
evidence the element of misappropriation or conversion. There was no adequate evidence to prove that
Mandy gave the checks to petitioner with the instruction that she will use them to pay the ICBC loan. Citing
Mandy's own testimony in open court, the RTC Manila held that when Mandy delivered the checks to
petitioner, their agreement was that it was a "sort of loan."36 In the dispositive portion of the RTC Decision,
the RTC Manila ruled that the prosecution "failed to establish the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable
doubt."37 It then proceeded to order petitioner to pay the amount of the loan.

The ruling of the RTC Manila was affirmed by the CA. It said that "[t]he acquittal of Gloria Dy is anchored on
the ground that her guilt was not proved beyond reasonable doubt - not because she is not the author of the
act or omission complained of. x x x The trial court found no trickery nor deceit in obtaining money from the
private complainant; instead, it concluded that the money obtained was undoubtedly a loan."38

Our jurisprudence on this matter diverges.

Earlier cases ordered the dismissal of the civil action for recovery of civil liability ex delicto whenever there is
a finding that there was no estafa but rather an obligation to pay under a contract. In People v. Pantig,39 this
Court affirmed the ruling of the lower court acquitting Pantig, but revoked the portion sentencing him to pay
the offended party the amount of money alleged to have been obtained through false and fraudulent
representations, thus —
The trial court found as a fact that the sum of P1,200, ordered to be paid in the judgment of acquittal, was
received by the defendant-appellant as loan. This finding is inconsistent with the existence of the criminal
act charged in the information. The liability of the defendant for the return of the amount so
received arises from a civil contract, not from a criminal act, and may not be enforced in the
criminal case.
The portion of the judgment appealed from, which orders the defendant-appellant to pay the sum of Pi ,200
to the offended party, is hereby revoked, without prejudice to the filing of a civil action for the recovery of
the said amount.40 chanroblesvi rtua llawli bra ry

This was also the import of the ruling in People v. Singson.41 In that case, this Court found that "the
evidence [was] not sufficient to establish the existence of fraud or deceit on the part of the accused. x x x
And when there is no proven deceit or fraud, there is no crime of estafa."42 While we also said that the
established facts may prove Singson's civil liability (obligation to pay under a contract of sale), we
nevertheless made no finding of civil liability because "our mind cannot rest easy on the certainty of
guilt"43 considering the above finding. The dispositive portion stated that Singson is acquitted "without
prejudice to any civil liability which may be established in a civil case against her."44 chanrobleslaw

However, our jurisprudence on the matter appears to have changed in later years.

In Eusebio-Calderon v. People,45 this Court affirmed the finding of the CA that Calderon "did not employ
trickery or deceit in obtaining money from the private complainants, instead, it concluded that the money
obtained was undoubtedly loans for which [Calderon] paid interest."46 Thus, this Court upheld Calderon's
acquittal of estafa, but found her civilly liable for the principal amount borrowed from the private
complainants.47 chanroble slaw

The ruling was similar in People v. Cuyugan.48 In that case, we acquitted Cuyugan of estafa for failure of the
prosecution to prove fraud. We held that the transaction between Cuyugan and private complainants was a
loan to be used by Cuyugan in her business. Thus, this Court ruled that Cuyugan has the obligation, which is
civil in character, to pay the amount borrowed.49 chanrob leslaw

We hold that the better rule in ascertaining civil liability in estafa cases is that pronounced
in Pantig and Singson. The rulings in these cases are more in accord with the relevant provisions of the Civil
Code, and the Rules of Court. They are also logically consistent with this Court's pronouncement
in Manantan.

Under Pantig and Singson, whenever the elements of estafa are not established, and that the delivery of any
personal property was made pursuant to a contract, any civil liability arising from the estafa cannot be
awarded in the criminal case. This is because the civil liability arising from the contract is not civil liability ex
delicto, which arises from the same act or omission constituting the crime. Civil liability ex delicto is the
liability sought to be recovered in a civil action deemed instituted with the criminal case.

The situation envisioned in the foregoing cases, as in this case, is civil liability ex contractu where the civil
liability arises from an entirely different source of obligation. Therefore, it is not the type of civil action
deemed instituted in the criminal case, and consequently must be filed separately. This is necessarily so
because whenever the court makes a finding that the elements of estafa do not exist, it effectively says that
there is no crime. There is no act or omission that constitutes criminal fraud. Civil liability ex delicto cannot
be awarded as it cannot be sourced from something that does not exist.

When the court finds that the source of obligation is in fact, a contract, as in a contract of loan, it takes a
position completely inconsistent with the presence of estafa. In estafa, a person parts with his money
because of abuse of confidence or deceit. In a contract, a person willingly binds himself or herself to give
something or to render some service.50 In estafa, the accused's failure to account for the property received
amounts to criminal fraud. In a contract, a party's failure to comply with his obligation is only a contractual
breach. Thus, any finding that the source of obligation is a contract negates estafa. The finding, in turn,
means that there is no civil liability ex delicto. Thus, the rulings in the foregoing cases are consistent with
the concept of fused civil and criminal actions, and the different sources of obligations under our laws.

We apply this doctrine to the facts of this case. Petitioner was acquitted by the RTC Manila because of the
absence of the element of misappropriation or conversion. The RTC Manila, as affirmed by the CA, found
that Mandy delivered the checks to petitioner pursuant to a loan agreement. Clearly, there is no crime
of estafa. There is no proof of the presence of any act or omission constituting criminal fraud. Thus, civil
liability ex delicto cannot be awarded because there is no act or omission punished by law which can serve
as the source of obligation. Any civil liability arising from the loan takes the nature of a civil liability ex
contractu. It does not pertain to the civil action deemed instituted with the criminal case.

In Manantan, this Court explained the effects of this result on the civil liability deemed instituted with the
criminal case. At the risk of repetition, Manantan held that when there is no delict, "civil liability ex delicto is
out of the question, and the civil action, if any, which may be instituted must be based on grounds other
than the delict complained of."51 In Dy's case, the civil liability arises out of contract—a different source of
obligation apart from an act or omission punished by law—and must be claimed in a separate civil action.

Violation of Due Process

We further note that the evidence on record never fully established the terms of this loan contract. As the
trial before the RTC Manila was focused on proving estafa, the loan contract was, as a consequence, only
tangentially considered. This provides another compelling reason why the civil liability arising from the loan
should be instituted in a separate civil case. A civil action for collection of sum of money filed before the
proper court will provide for a better venue where the terms of the loan and other relevant details may be
received. While this may postpone a warranted recovery of the civil liability, this Court deems it more
important to uphold the principles underlying the inherent differences in the various sources of obligations
under our law, and the rule that fused actions only refer to criminal and civil actions involving the same act
or omission. These legal tenets play a central role in this legal system. A confusion of these principles will
ultimately jeopardize the interests of the parties involved. Actions focused on proving estafa is not the
proper vehicle to thresh out civil liability arising from a contract.52 The Due Process Clause of the
Constitution dictates that a civil liability arising from a contract must be litigated in a separate civil action.

Section 1 of the Bill of Rights states that no person shall be deprived of property without due process of law.
This provision protects a person's right to both substantive and procedural due process. Substantive due
process looks into the validity of a law and protects against arbitrariness.53 Procedural due process, on the
other hand, guarantees procedural fairness.54 It requires an ascertainment of "what process is due, when it
is due, and the degree of what is due."55 This aspect of due process is at the heart of this case.

In general terms, procedural due process means the right to notice and hearing.56 More specifically, our
Rules of Court provides for a set of procedures through which a person may be notified of the claims against
him or her as well as methods through which he or she may be given the adequate opportunity to be heard.

The Rules of Court requires that any person invoking the power of the judiciary to protect or enforce a right
or prevent or redress a wrong57 must file an initiatory pleading which embodies a cause of action,58 which is
defined as the act or omission by which a party violates a right of another.59 The contents of an initiatory
pleading alleging a cause of action will vary depending on the source of the obligation involved. In the case
of an obligation arising from a contract, as in this case, the cause of action in an initiatory pleading will
involve the duties of the parties to the contract, and what particular obligation was breached. On the other
hand, when the obligation arises from an act or omission constituting a crime, the cause of action must
necessarily be different. In such a case, the initiatory pleading will assert as a cause of action the act or
omission of respondent, and the specific criminal statute he or she violated. Where the initiatory pleading
fails to state a cause of action, the respondent may file a motion to dismiss even before trial.60 These rules
embody the fundamental right to notice under the Due Process Clause of the Constitution.

In a situation where a court (in a fused action for the enforcement of criminal and civil liability) may validly
order an accused-respondent to pay an obligation arising from a contract, a person's right to be notified of
the complaint, and the right to have the complaint dismissed if there is no cause of action, are completely
defeated. In this event, the accused-respondent is completely unaware of the nature of the liability claimed
against him or her at the onset of the case. The accused-respondent will not have read any complaint
stating the cause of action of an obligation arising from a contract. All throughout the trial, the accused-
respondent is made to believe that should there be any civil liability awarded against him or her, this liability
is rooted from the act or omission constituting the crime. The accused-respondent is also deprived of the
remedy of having the complaint dismissed through a motion to dismiss before trial. In a fused action, the
accused-respondent could not have availed of this remedy because he or she was not even given an
opportunity to ascertain what cause of action to look for in the initiatory pleading. In such a case, the
accused-respondent is blindsided. He or she could not even have prepared the appropriate defenses and
evidence to protect his or her interest. This is not the concept of fair play embodied in the Due Process
Clause. It is a clear violation of a person's right to due process.

The Rules of Court also allows a party to a civil action certain remedies that enable him or her to effectively
present his or her case. A party may file a cross-claim, a counterclaim or a third-party complaint.61 The
Rules of Court prohibits these remedies in a fused civil and criminal case.62 The Rules of Court requires that
any cross-claim, counterclaim or third-party complaint must be instituted in a separate civil action.63 In a
legal regime where a court may order an accused in a fused action to pay civil liability arising from a
contract, the accused-respondent is completely deprived of the remedy to file a cross-claim, a counterclaim
or a third-party complaint. This—coupled with an accused-respondent's inability to adequately prepare his or
her defense because of lack of adequate notice of the claims against him or her—prevents the accused-
respondent from having any right to a meaningful hearing. The right to be heard under the Due Process
Clause requires not just any kind of an opportunity to be heard. It mandates that a party to a case must
have the chance to be heard in a real and meaningful sense. It does not require a perfunctory hearing, but a
court proceeding where the party may adequately avail of the procedural remedies granted to him or her. A
court decision resulting from this falls short of the mandate of the Due Process Clause.

Indeed, the language of the Constitution is clear. No person shall be deprived of property without due
process of law. Due Process, in its procedural sense, requires, in essence, the right to notice and hearing.
These rights are further fleshed out in the Rules of Court. The Rules of Court enforces procedural due
process because, to repeat the words of this Court in Secretary of Justice v. Lantion, it provides for "what
process is due, when it is due, and the degree of what is due."64 A court ordering an accused in a fused
action to pay his or her contractual liability deprives him or her of his or her property without the right to
notice and hearing as expressed in the procedures and remedies under the Rules of Court. Thus, any court
ruling directing an accused in a fused action to pay civil liability arising from a contract is one that
completely disregards the Due Process Clause. This ruling must be reversed and the Constitution upheld.

Conclusion

The lower courts erred when they ordered petitioner to pay her civil obligation arising from a contract of
loan in the same criminal case where she was acquitted on the ground that there was no crime. Any
contractual obligation she may have must be litigated in a separate civil action involving the contract of
loan. We clarify that in cases where the accused is acquitted on the ground that there is no crime, the civil
action deemed instituted with the criminal case cannot prosper precisely because there is no delict from
which any civil obligation may be sourced. The peculiarity of this case is the finding that petitioner, in fact,
has an obligation arising from a contract. This civil action arising from the contract is not necessarily
extinguished. It can be instituted in the proper court through the proper civil action.

We note that while there is no written contract of loan in this case, there is an oral contract of loan which
must be brought within six years.65 Under the facts of the case, it appears that any breach in the obligation
to pay the loan may have happened between 1996 and 1999, or more than six years since this case has
been instituted. This notwithstanding, we find that the civil action arising from the contract of loan has not
yet prescribed. Article 1150 of the Civil Code states —
Art. 1150. The time for prescription for all kinds of actions, when there is no special provision which ordains
otherwise, shall be counted from the day they may be brought.
We held in numerous cases that it is the legal possibility of bringing the action that determines the starting
point for the computation of the period of prescription.67 We highlight the unique circumstances surrounding
this case. As discussed in this decision, there has been diverse jurisprudence as to the propriety of ordering
an accused to pay an obligation arising from a contract in the criminal case where the accused was acquitted
on the ground that there is no crime. Litigants, such as MCCI, cannot be blamed for relying on prior rulings
where the recovery on a contract of loan in a criminal case for estafa was allowed. We have found the
opportunity to clarify this matter through this decision. As it is only now that we delineate the rules
governing the fusion of criminal and civil actions pertaining to estafa, it is only upon the promulgation of this
judgment that litigants have a clear understanding of the proper recourse in similar cases. We therefore rule
that insofar as MCCI is concerned, the filing of an action, if any (that may be sourced from the contract of
loan), becomes a legal possibility only upon the finality of this decision which definitively ruled upon the
principles on fused actions.

We add, however, that upon finality of this decision, prospective litigants should become more circumspect
in ascertaining their course of action in similar cases. Whenever a litigant erroneously pursues
an estafa case, and the accused is subsequently acquitted because the obligation arose out of a contract,
the prescriptive period will still be counted from the time the cause of action arose. In this eventuality, it is
probable that the action has already prescribed by the time the criminal case shall have been completed.
This possibility demands that prospective litigants do not haphazardly pursue the filing of an estafa case in
order to force an obligor to pay his or her obligation with the threat of criminal conviction. It compels
litigants to be honest and fair in their judgment as to the proper action to be filed. This ruling should deter
litigants from turning to criminal courts as their collection agents, and should provide a disincentive to the
practice of filing of criminal cases based on unfounded grounds in order to provide a litigant a bargaining
chip in enforcing contracts.

WHEREFORE, in view of the foregoing, the Petition is GRANTED. The Decision of the CA dated February
25, 2009 is REVERSED. This is however, without prejudice to any civil action which may be filed to claim
civil liability arising from the contract.

SO ORDERED.