From food and personal belongings to plants and home appliances, almost everything is now available for online transactions--including a baby.
Police arrested a woman in late 20s in Davao del Norte after she posted in a Facebook page for online shoppers in Tagum City that her baby boy was for sale for P200,000.
Initially, online shoppers ignored the post as they thought that it was a joke but one of them became concerned after the woman updated her post threatening that she would kill the one-year old baby if no one would buy him.
Maj. Anjanette Tirador, deputy chief of the Tagum City police, said one of the online shoppers sought police assistance to check on the Facebook account owner.
Tirador said that they immediately set an entrapment against the woman on Tuesday afternoon after the latter was convinced that the poseur-buyer was interested to pay for the child.
The woman was arrested and the baby boy was rescued when policemen went to her house.
"It was only then that we found out that she is the biological mother. The mother actually used a dummy account for that transaction," said Tirador.
When asked why she did it, the mother told the police that she was desperate since she no longer have enough money to feed the child.
It was learned that the woman lost her job recently and is already living separately from her parents who are currently taking care of her two other children.
The official said they referred the mother to the City Social Welfare and Development Office for psychological intervention although her parents told the police that she is not suffering from any mental condition.