CEBU, Philippines - Twenty-one people are reported missing, but not from floods, typhoon, terror attack or any natural or man-made disaster. They went missing after joining the Sinulog celebration last weekend.
Most of them are children, but there are two seniors among them aged 60 and 80.
Alarmed by the reports, Acting Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella sent a letter to the Cebu City Police Office, the Department of Social Welfare and Development-7 and the City Hall’s Department of Social Welfare and Services for a collaborative effort to locate those still missing.
“May I please request your respective offices to coordinate with each other in tracing the whereabouts of said missing children and senior citizens so that they can be restored safely to their families,” read Labella’s letter which was presented to the press yesterday.
In his letter dated Monday, he reported that at least 24 children and two elderly individuals went missing after joining the festivities last Sunday during the Sinulog Grand Parade.
Of the 24 missing children, Labella said five have already been found and returned to their family and relatives.
Now he worries about the other 21 still missing.
Earlier, the City Hall’s Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council presented the data of people reported to be missing. They initially counted at least 30 people, most of them minors.
The figure covered the period from 6 a.m. on January 17 (Sunday) until 6 a.m. the following day.
The data was collated from the city government’s centralized communication system, Command Control System or C3, based in Barangay Mambaling.
“Wala pa mi status sa 30 ka tawo nga na-report nga nawala. Wala pa ta ka follow-up ana ug wala pa say feedback nga nadawat,” said CCDRRMC Chairman and City Councilor David Tumulak yesterday.
In a separate interview, DSWS Head Dr. Ester Concha said she was unaware of the reports since no lost children have been turned over to their office.
She directly contacted an official from the CCPO’s Women and Children’s Protection Desk after being informed through Labella’s letter.
“Mangita pa ko kon asa possible gi-house ang mga bata. Nag-meeting mi ganiha sa DSWD-7 pero wala man na gi-raise nga concern,” said Concha, who assured that he will coordinate with CCPO and its regional counterpart to ensure that all of the children are found safe.
DSWD-7 information officer Kerwin Macopia said he was also not informed of the reports.
“Wala pa mi update regarding that concern,” he said, adding that the regional office was attending yesterday to an activity held outside Cebu.
But CCPO’s Deputy Director for Administration, Superintendent Artemio Ricabo, assured the public that none of the children are in trouble.
“So far, wala mi kadawat og report nga gikuha ilang anak. Wala’y report on kidnapping ka’y usually naa man gyud na mopasaka og complaint kon nawala na gyud ilang anak sa dugay nga oras,” he said.
“Ang mahitabo man gud kon mawagtanang, moduol sa police then ang police ang mo-report sa sector commanders to call C3. Then C3 will connect to the deputized field units on where might the person was recovered. Mostly basta ma-recover, dili na i-report og balik sa C3 nga nakit-an,” he explained further. -/BRP (FREEMAN)