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Defacement, Mutilation, Tearing, Burning or Destroying Central Bank Notes and Coins

It shall be unlawful for any person to willfully deface, mutilate, tear, burn, or destroy in any manner whatsoever, currency notes and coins issued by the Central Bank.

Mutilation under the Revised Penal Code is true only to coins.

It cannot be a crime under the Revised Penal Code to mutilate paper bills because the idea of mutilation under the code is collecting the precious metal dust. However, under Presidential Decree No. 247, mutilation is not limited to coins.

Note that persons making bracelets out of some coins violate Presidential Decree No. 247. So, if the act of mutilating coins does not involve gathering dust like playing cara y cruz, that is not mutilation under the Revised Penal Code because the offender does not collect the metal dust. But by rubbing the coins on the sidewalk, he also defaces and destroys the coin and that is punishable under Presidential Decree No. 247.