Three sacks of betel nut worth P25,500 stolen from Baguio stall; two women face charges

BAGUIO CITY — Two women are facing theft charges in Baguio City after allegedly stealing three sacks of betel nut, locally known as “bua.”

According to the Baguio police, a 52-year-old woman left five sacks of betel nuts at her stall along Lakandula Street. When she returned the following day, she discovered that three sacks were missing.

The missing betel nuts were valued at P25,500.

Betel nut, or “bua,” is commonly mixed with lime, locally known as “apog,” and “gawed,” or betel pepper leaves, to make “momma” (known as “nga-nga” in Tagalog). Chewing the mixture is a popular practice among Cordillerans and residents of other parts of the country.

A review of security camera footage showed two women hailing a taxi and loading the three sacks into the vehicle in the early morning of 10 November 2026.

The victim later located her missing merchandise at Block 4 of the Baguio City Public Market, leading to the identification of the two suspects, aged 29 and 34, who are both residents of the city.

Police confirmed that the stolen betel nuts had been recovered. However, the items remain temporarily in police custody as evidence for the formal theft complaint the victim will file against the suspects.