This appeal is taken directly  to this  Court  from the judgment  in Civil Case No.  14249 of the Court of First Instance of the  City of  Manila,  wherein the  defendants, now appellants,  were  sentenced as follows:

"(a) Ordering Celia  Reyes to  pay  to the  plaintiff the  sum  of P26,436.00 with interest at 12 per  cent, per  annum on P3,436.00 from  May 22, 1951,  and on P23.000.00  from  May 24,  1951,  until fully paid, plus attorney's fees which  the court fixes at P2,500.00;

(b) Ordering Celia Reyes and Alto  Surety and Insurance Co., Inc.,  to  pay  to  the  plaintiff,  jointly  and  severally, (the  sum  of P25,000.00 with interest thereon  at  12 per  cent per annum from May 24,  1951, until fully paid,  plus additional attorney's  fees  in the  sum of  P2,500.00, and the cost of  suit;  *  * *" (Rec. App. pp. 125-126.)

The material facts of the  case are  succinctly  stated  in the  appealed  judgment  as follows:

"In 1951  and for some time prior to that year,  Celia  Reyes did business under the trade  name "Celia David".  On May 18, 1951, she ordered  by telephone from  Hans Wenger,  then the manager of plaintiff's foodstuffs department,  600 cases of  'Luneta sardines for the price  of P9,936.00.  Wenger routed the corresponding  sales order to H. B.  Mill, then plaintiff's  office  and credit manager, who approved the  sale  on c.o.d. basis.  (Exhibit A-Deposition).  An invoice covering the transaction was prepared and the sardines  were delivered  to  Celia  Reyes.  (Exhibit  B).  Of  the  agreed price  of P9.936.00 Celia Reyes  has paid P6,500.00 only  (Exhibits 16 and 17), leaving an unpaid balance of P3,436.00.

About May 20,  1951, Celia Reyes again telephoned Wenger and asked for 3,000 cases  of  'Modesto, evaporated  milk, promising  to return the milk when her shipment of 4,500 cases and 500 bundles would arrive.  Mill rejected  the proposition and Wanger communicated  the rejection to her by telephone and informed her that she could  have  the milk on  'net,  cash' basis.  She  agreed;  Wenger prepared a sales invoice  for 3,000 cartons of 'Modesto' evaporated milk at P16.00  a  carton, or for a total  price of P48,000.00.  Mill approved the transaction  and  the corresponding invoice was prepared.  (Exhibits  A-1, pp.  9-13, 27-30; B-Deposition;  and C).

The milk was  delivered to Celia Reyes on May 23 and 24, 1951. Jose Techico, plaintiff's collector, went to  Celia Reyes to collect after  the deliveries of the 600  cases of sardines and 3,000 cases  of milk.   She had no money  and told Techico to return the next day, then the next  and again the next, but she still had no money  to pay.  Mill also demanded  payment from her, personally and through the telephone, but she Informed Mill  that she had no  funds  at the time.  She visited  plaintiff's office on June 13,  1951, and made out a check for  P10,000.00  as partial payment on  her  indebtedness but the check  was  dishonored  for  the  drawer's insufficiency of funds to  meet the amount thereof.  The check was intended  to cover  the cost  of the sardines and the balance in the sum of P64.00 as partial payment of the  price of the milk.   (Exhibits K, O, O-1)

To  guaranty payment of the price of the 3,000 cases of 'Modesto' evaporated milk Celia Reyes  was required to  put up a surety bond. She  did, on July 5, 1951,  through  defendant  Alto Surety and Insurance Co., Inc.,  but only for P25,000.00.   To minimize its loss plaintiff had to be content with the  bond."   (Rec. App. 113-115).

On July 16,   1951,   Atkins,  Kroll and  Company,  Inc., filed  suit  in the court below to recover the outstanding indebtedness of Celia Reyes and  obtained a writ of attachment.  Having obtained no satisfaction, it  amended the complaint on October  17, 1951 to implead the Alto Surety & Insurance  Co.,  Inc., as  additional party  defendant,  to make effective  the  performance bond guaranteeing  Celia Reyes' debt.   The surety company admitted-the execution of the bond  but defended  saying that  the bond was not accepted or approved by  the creditor, and that its liability depended  upon  that of the principal debtor  Celia. Reyes, while the latter in turn, denied  liability for the merchandise and counterclaim for damages. Judgment being rendered, after due trial,  against both defendants, as  previously stated, this  appeal was taken.

The appeal  of  Celia Reyes was,  however,  dismissed  by our resolution  of August  29,  1957; hence, only the contentions of the surety  need now to be considered.

It is  the principal contention  of appellant Alto  Surety Co. that the bond subscribe by it, with  Celia Reyes as principal!, was  entered  into with the  understanding that Celia Reyes  would  be given time to pay  her obligations to the  plaintiff-appellee, but the latter filed  suit shortly after the bond was executed in violation of the understanding.  It may have been that Celia Reyes actually hoped that by furnishing the bond,  plaintiff would be induced to extend the period for paying her debts;  nevertheless, we find  nothing in the record to show that this expectation on her part actually was agreed  to  by the creditor.   It is highly significant that the written  suretyship agreement makes no mention whatever of any  extension  of the principal's obligation  to pay for the  3000 cases "Modesto" milk she had ordered, nor does  it provide that the surety's liability (expressly made solidary with Celia) was  conditioned upon  her obtaining additional  time to  make her payments.  The conditions of the bond are recited  therein (Exhibit G)  to be as follows:

"THE  CONDITIONS OF THIS OBLIGATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Whereas, on the 24th  day  of May, 1951, the   above-bounded principal and  the company entered into  a C.O.D.  Sale  per Invoice  16171 copy  of which  is hereto attached, marked  Annex 'A', and made a  part  hereof;

WHEREAS, the principal is  now indebted or otherwise liable  to the company  under the said agreement; and

WHEREAS, the COMPANY has  required the  PRINCIPAL to give a good and  sufficient bond in  the sum of pesos TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND only (P25,000.00), Philippine Currency to guarantee the  payment  of all the principal's indebtedness  now due or which  may hereafter  become due and the faithful performance of her duty and obligations under the said agreement of the 24th  day of May, 1956, and the other terms and conditions of the said agreement.

NOW,  THEREFORE, if the  above-bounden  PRINCIPAL shall pay  all her indebtedness now due or which may hereafter become due to the COMPANY and shall faithfully and truly perform all her obligations under the said agreement of the 24th day of  May,  1951, then this obligation  shall be  null  and void, otherwise,  it shall  remain in  full  force and  effect.  *  * *".   (Appellee's Brief, pp. 8-9)

It is difficult to conceive how  such an important condition affecting the  surety's liability could  be omitted from the terms  of the  bond prepared by the surety itself; and its absence is strong evidence against the surety's contentions.  
This finding  is corroborated by the fact that when extrajudicial  demand for  payment  was made upon the surety, the latter's written answer (Exhibit  I) made no mention whatever of any  extended term of payment nor did its answer to the amended complaint interpose that defense.

We  have heretofore  ruled  (Pacific  Tobacco  Corp. vs. Lorenzana and Visayan Surety, 102 Phil.,  234 and Philippine Surety & Ins. Co.  vs. Royal Oil  Products,  102  Phil., 326),  that the strictissimi juris rule  of  interpretation does not  apply to the engagements of corporate sureties engaged in the business of furnishing bonds for compensation, and who  are, furthermore, secured from all possible loss  by  adequate counterbonds. We see   no  reason for deviating from that norm.  We find that the Court below did not err in holding that no extension of the period  to pay has been stipulated.

Wherefore, the  judgment  appealed from is affirmed. Costs in this instance against appellant Alto Surety and Insurance Co. Inc.   So ordered.

Paras,  C. J., Bengzon, Padilla, Montemayor,  Reyes, A., Bautista Angelo, Labrador, Concepcion, and Endencia, JJ., concur.