COMEDIANS MC Muah and Lassy Marquez have come clean about a dark chapter in their lives and admitted losing over P10 million to gambling at the height of their casino addiction from 2011 to 2016.
In an interview with Toni Gonzaga on “Toni Talks,” the duo said their story was meant to serve as a cautionary tale.
MC said his gambling started as a coping mechanism after his mother died of cancer. “Pagkatapos ng trabaho sa comedy bar, saan pa ako pupunta? May nagsabi, ‘Eto, baka maaliw ka,’” he recalled.
It started with small bets, but the losses piled up fast. “P50,000? Kaya pang bawiin. P100,000? P300,000? P500,000?” MC said. “May gabi na umabot ako ng P800,000 ang talo.”
Lassy said he was initially just curious, tagging along with MC. On his first visit, he won, which only deepened his curiosity and eventual addiction. “Nag-enjoy ako, ‘di ko alam na papasok pala ako sa isang mabalasik na mundo.”
Soon, their careers and finances began to suffer. “Papasok kami sa trabaho na walang tulog, walang kain. Show, tapos sugal,” Lassy said. MC added that their savings vanished. “Ang laki ng ipon namin ni Lassy. Pagtingin ko, P2,000 na lang laman ng bangko.”
Lassy also pawned most of his jewelry and found himself borrowing money just to pay bills. “Yung interest na lang ang binabayaran ko, kasi hindi ko matubos.”
Their turning point came when MC confided in a younger comedian. “Nakita niya ‘yung passbook ko, ‘Ate MC, ito na lang natira?’” he said. The young friend even offered him KFC, sensing he barely had money left.
The two eventually quit gambling, turning to prayer and hard work. “Ngayon lang namin nakuha ‘yung tinatawag na financial freedom,” MC said. “Yung makakatulog ka na wala kang inaalala.”
