Police are searching for a former household helper from Batuan, Bohol, accused of stealing nearly P3 million in cash, jewelry and a luxury watch from the Cebu City home of Dumanjug Vice Mayor Erwin “Wado” Gica.
The suspect was identified as Renjelme Pangan Talan, 29, also known as “Rheign.”
She worked as a nanny for Gica’s child for more than two months, starting Aug. 23, 2026, and gained the family’s trust before the items went missing, authorities and local reports said.
Gica’s wife discovered the alleged theft the evening of Oct. 10, 2026, when she found that cash, a Rolex watch and other jewelry were gone from her bag and that Talan had left the residence in a subdivision in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City.
Gica was away attending a Philippine Councilors League event in Clark, Pampanga.
The missing items are valued at about P2.9 million to P3 million.
Gica has offered a P100,000 reward for information leading to Talan’s arrest.
Philippine National Police stations across the Visayas have been alerted, and a manhunt is underway under Labangon Police Station 10 of the Cebu City Police Office.
Police warned that Talan and her husband should be considered armed and dangerous, citing reports that the couple bought a firearm before leaving Cebu province.
Investigators also said Talan gave an incorrect address when she was hired.
CCTV footage reportedly showed a woman leaving the subdivision with a jacket tied around her body and later riding a motorcycle.
Reports alleged that about P500,000 of the money was spent on cosmetic procedures, including work on the suspect’s nose and eyebrows, and that she obtained a new or altered national ID.
Those claims have not been independently confirmed, and none of the property has been recovered.
Authorities are pursuing the case as qualified theft under the Revised Penal Code, which carries higher penalties when committed by a domestic servant or with grave abuse of confidence.
As of Oct. 24, 2026, it was not confirmed whether a formal complaint had been filed in court or an arrest warrant issued.
Police Capt. Meryl Pranza Causin, chief of Labangon Police Station 10, said the family submitted CCTV footage and other evidence.
She urged households to conduct thorough background checks before hiring domestic help.
Talan’s whereabouts remain unknown.
The allegations are under police investigation, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.