Churchgoers catch man who stole Mass offerings

MANILA, Philippines - Parishioners of the San Bartolome Churh in Malabon City caught a man who stole bundles of envelopes containing P1,000 in Mass offerings Thursday.

Gilbert Base, who supervises construction in the church compound, told The STAR that people were already leaving the church when they saw welder Rodil Fontanilla emerge from behind the church altar.

“We thought he was Fr. Ric Torrefiel,” Base said, referring to the parish priest.

Base said he followed Fontanilla and told the churchgoers that the suspect just took away the envelopes for the Mass offerings.

The churchgoers then chased Fontanilla until he was cornered with the help of traffic enforcers in the area. A backpack the suspect carried contained bundles of envelopes with P20 and P50 bills.

Several photographs of a woman and a girl believed to be wife and daughter of the suspect was also found with the cash donations.

Police said theft charges have been filed against Fontanilla.

Church officials decided to pursue the criminal case against the suspect to put an end to the missing donations and offerings over the past several months.