A 30-year-old woman, identified only as “Erika,” has been arrested in connection with one of 40 counts of qualified theft after allegedly siphoning nearly ₱900,000 from company funds, according to a report by GMA News Online.
Police said the suspect, who had worked for the company for a decade, regularly pocketed amounts ranging from ₱10,000 to ₱20,000 from daily remittances of ₱500,000 to ₱1 million. “Nire-remit ng kanyang salesman daily between ₱500,000 to ₱1 million, kumukuha siya ng ₱10 hanggang ₱20,000. Kumukuha siya mga tatlong beses kada linggo. Nang nag-audit na, doon na nakita na malaki ang losses ng kanilang company,” explained Police Captain Glenn Montaño, chief of Bacolod City Police Station 10.
The suspect admitted to squandering the funds through online “sabong” (cockfighting) and e-gambling. “Naka-click raw siya ng link sa kanyang cellphone. Nag-online gambling, tumataya siya [sa] e-sabong. Ayaw naman daw niya sana kasi may namamatay na mga manok, nagbe-bet lang siya,” Montaño added.
The court has recommended bail of ₱1.3 million for her temporary liberty. Authorities, however, withheld details about the affected company.
The arrest comes just days after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) ordered e-wallet platforms to cut ties with online gambling sites. The Catholic Church welcomed the move, warning about its harmful impact on families and young people. “Sa age bracket, walang limit… nagbibigay ng false hope, in the end, hindi pala mabuti,” said Msgr. Ronald Quijano, rector of San Sebastian Cathedral.
Some Bacolod residents also opened up about their past struggles with e-sabong. “The more na humahabol ka, the more na matatalo ka. Muntik na akong iwan, ang sweldo ko, ginagamit lang online,” shared Junjun, while another former bettor, Greg, said, “Naaadik ako sa maliit lang. Malaki ang utang mo kung nagsusugal ka.”
