Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina Jr., quoting reports from the DILG emergency hotline, said a concerned citizen called up 117 to report that a girl was forcibly taken from her mother on board the M/V Romblon Bay.
The mother, identified only as Marilyn, was boarding the ship when an unidentified woman suddenly took the child from her. The mother and her daughter were bound for Antique when the incident took place.
Lina said the abduction was immediately relayed to the Philippine Coast Guard and Maritime Police, which immediately responded and headed to the scene.
Responding Coast Guard men searched the ship and found Angelita Talidong, the alleged kidnapper, holding on to a girl at Bunk No. 9 of the economy section of the ship.
The suspect was immediately arrested and taken to the Coast Guard headquarters and was turned over to the Maritime Police at North Harbor for investigation and filing of necessary criminal charges. No details were provided as to the motive of the child snatching.
Lina reiterated his call to the public to use the hotline for emergencies and to avoid making prank calls.
Patrol 117 is an anti-crime and development program of the DILG, the Philippine National Police and the Foundation for Crime Prevention that allows distressed persons to seek quick police and emergency assistance. – Perseus Echeminada