Woman sells her 9-month-old baby to pay for e-sabong debt

A woman sold her nine-month-old baby for P45,000 to pay for the debt she incurred while betting on e-sabong and for other living expenses.

According to “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho,” the woman, “Carla,” served as an agent of online sabong for extra income but she eventually got hooked into placing her own bets.

It reached a point where she was unable to pay the money she borrowed, so she thought about selling one of her kidneys.

“‘Yung buy and sell po ng kidney, may nagpost po, nag-comment po ako. Nag-offer po sila ng 1.5 po. ‘Yung 500 po dun sa naghanap tapos 1M sa akin daw po,” she said. “Pero hindi rin po natuloy.”

[“Someone posted about buying kidneys, I commented. They offered 1.5 [million]. The 500,000 will go to the agent and I will receive the P1 million. But it didn’t go through.”]

As the lenders kept asking for their money back, Carla became stressed and felt cornered. She couldn’t think of any other way to get some cash, so she thought about selling her own baby.

She posted about it in a closed group online, where she eventually met a buyer who initially offered P20,000.

“Sabi ko meron pa po akong ibang kausap na mas malaki ‘yung offer. Umabot kami ng 45, fixed,” she said. “Gagawin niya daw pong legal ‘yung adoption kasi kukuha daw po siya ng abogado.”

[“I said I have another buyer who has a bigger offer. [We negotiated] up to 45,000. [The buyer said] that they will make the adoption legal and hire a lawyer.”]

Asked whether she had second thoughts about pushing through with the transaction, Carla said doubts did cross her mind. But she couldn’t think of anything else to do.

She went to a fast food restaurant in Quezon City and met with someone, but it was not the person she spoke to online.

“Wala po siyang suot na face mask. Maputi po tapos medyo chubby, singkit ang mata, medyo matangos ‘yung ilong. Pinapirma niya po ako agad,” she said. “Kumbaga para hindi ko na hahabulin ‘yung anak ko.”

[“She was not wearing a face mask. She has light skin, slightly chubby, small eyes, and a tall nose. She had me sign something so I would not ask for my child back.”]

The baby was sleeping when Carla handed her over. After the transaction, however, the mother had a change of heart.

“Pagsakay ko ng taxi, chinat ko pa po siya na ibabalik ko na lang ‘yung po ‘yung pera, kukunin ko po ‘yung anak ko, binlock niya po ako,” she said.

[“After I hailed a taxi, I sent a chat to the buyer, asking for my child back. I told her that I will return the money. But she had already blocked me.”]

Carla used P7,000 of the money she received to buy a cellphone. She then paid for her debt and gave P30,000 to her aunt for safekeeping.

She left her live-in partner, “Ben,” in the dark about the transaction. She made an excuse about leaving their baby with her mother, and then said she bought the phone for P2,000 from a friend. She also deleted her chat messages with the buyer.

Ben felt something was off about Carla’s excuses. When he asked her to video call her mother so he could see their child, she burst into tears and confessed everything.

After learning the truth, it was Ben’s turn to break down.

“Umiyak po ako ma’am. Tinanong ko po sa kanya, ‘Bakit mo ginawa ‘yun?” he said. “Hindi ko po matanggap. Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Ikaw lang yata ‘yung babaeng gumawa ng ganun sa anak!’”

[“I cried. I asked her, ‘Why did you do that?’ I couldn’t accept it. I told her, ‘You might be the only woman who would do that to her own child!’”]

Ben asked for help from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in the hopes of getting their child back.

According to the NBI, this is the first time they encountered a case of human trafficking or child abuse in relation to cybercrime. The penalty for the crime is jail time of 20 to 40 years.

The NBI’s priority at the moment is to recover the baby before it can be taken to another location or exploited.

“Na-establish na namin kung saan nangyari ang transaksyon, meron na ring naging witness, meron na rin kaming kopya ng CCTV footage ng lugar kung saan nangyari ang palitan ng bata,” said Atty. Janet Francisco, Chief of the Anti-Human Trafficking Division.

[“We have established where the transaction took place, we also have a witness and a copy of the CCTV footage of the location.”]

Asked if she is ready to face charges, Carla said she is ready to accept her punishment if she could see her baby again.

The mother got her hopes up when someone messaged her about speaking to the buyer and that the child is living a better life now. She asked to meet them at a specified time and place, but they were a no-show.

But Ben is still hoping that he can see the baby again.

“Gusto kong mabawi. Kahit sino naman sigurong ama eh. Sana po matulungan n’yo kami hanapin ‘yung anak ko. Hindi po ako sanay na wala po ‘yung bata,” he said.

[“I want to get her back. Any father would feel this way. I hope you can help us look for our child. I cannot accept that she is gone.”]

Carla, meanwhile, once again appealed to the buyer to return her child and vowed to give their money back.

“Nagsisisi nga ako ganun po ‘yung ginawa ko,” she said, crying. “Hihingi po ako ng tawad sa kanya.”

[“I regret what I did. I will ask for her forgiveness.”]

—MGP, GMA News