‘Ex-beauty queen issued bouncing checks’

Former beauty queen Joelle Pelaez, who had earlier filed estafa charges against San Miguel Corp. (SMC) chief operating officer and president Ramon Ang and four officials of the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB), could be held liable for violating the bouncing check law.

Ang’s lawyer, Mario Bautista, said in a press statement that Pelaez, who is now in the United States, may face charges for violating the bouncing check law after the checks she issued to UCPB as payment for a P5 million loan bounced.

It would be recalled that Pelaez had filed an estafa complaint against former President Joseph Estrada, Ang and some UCPB executives following the divestment of her ownership of two condominium units after her failure to pay her P5-million loan from the UCPB.

After reviewing Pelaez’s complaint, Assistant City Prosecutor Josefa Laurente dismissed the complaint, saying records showed that the former beauty queen did indeed apply for the loan and had received the proceeds but failed to pay it back. Pelaez had intended to use the loan to open a dealership of San Miguel beer products.

"It was not UCPB or its officials who induced (Pelaez) to secure a loan from the bank; neither was complainant forced by anyone to apply for the P5-million loan," Laurente said in her decision.

Laurente also said both Pelaez and her mother, Blanquita, were adequately informed of the civil case with preliminary attachment filed against them after UCPB sought legal remedies when the checks issued to the bank by Pelaez as payment for the loan were dishonored for insufficiency of funds and/or a closed account.