A former employee of a travel agency in Dumaguete City was sentenced to suffer a total of 52 years imprisonment after she was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt for three counts of qualified theft lodged before the Regional Trial Court Branch 34 in Negros Oriental.
RTC Branch 34 Judge Rosendo Bandal Jr. identified the accused as Cherie Mae Catan-Hipe, who was accused of pocketing more than P100,000 in cash in three different transactions of Eight Wonders Travel & Tours Inc, owned by Elsie Lee.
Court records show that Hipe, with grave abuse of confidence, with intent of gain and without the consent of the owner, took P31,109, which was paid by one Davida Manugas, a client of Eight Wonders to get her Philippie Airlines ticket for a one-way flight from Manila to San Francisco, California.
A certain Geates Hay Picken also paid P51,712.50 to get his Qatar Airways ticket for a round trip flight Cebu-Doha-Manchester; and the third client, Tony Casling, paid P23,850 to get his Cathay Pacific Airways one-way flight from Cebu to Hong Kong to Auckland, New Zealand, all to the damage and prejudice of the travel agency.
In a 14-page decision, Judge Bandal imposed a total of 52 years imprisonment for Hipe, ordered her to restitute to Eight Wonders Travel and Tours Inc. the total amount of money she pocketed, and to pay P20,000 in exemplary damages, and another P20,000 in moral damages.
In line with Section 5, Rule 114 of the 1985 Rules on Criminal Procedure, as amended, accused Cherie Mae Catan-Hipe was ordered to be immediately detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City (PNA/JFP/Juancho Gallarde)
