MANILA, Philippines–The three-year-old boy who went missing in Quezon City has been returned to his mother and police said he is in good shape.
Senior Superintendent Richard Albano, Quezon City Police District director, accompanied Grace Calimag to the Southern Police District where his son, John Gabriel, was turned over Thursday afternoon by couple Alexander and Jennifer Cruz.
Jennifer said she was with her husband and daughter at the MRT-Kamuning station when two boys approached her and said that they found a child who seemed to be lost.
“Lumapit yung dalawang bata tapos sinabi na parang ‘niligaw yata ng mama niya’,” Jennifer quoted the two boys as saying.
She said John Gabriel was silent all the time while he was under their care, and wasn’t able to tell the names of his parents.
She said it was only after her daughter saw John Gabriel’s picture flashed on television that they got the idea where to return the child.
“Masaya kami na nabalik na sa mga magulang niya yung bata pero medyo malungkot din dahil nagkakapalagayan na sila ng loob ng mga anak ko,” Jennifer’s husband, Alexander, said.
Jennifer and Alexander have four children.
“Yung bunso kong lalake na 8 years old ang nakakalaro talaga ni John. Magkatabi nga sila matulog eh,” he added.
Alexander also said that there were times that John Gabriel would suddenly wake up and cry in the middle of the night while calling his mother.
Grace said her husband went to buy something Sunday evening and didn’t notice that their son also went out and eventually lost his way until he reached the MRT station.
With John Gabriel’s case closed, police said three more children from Metro Manila remained missing. They are Dayne Buenaflor, 3, and James Naraga, 4, of Taguig, who were last seen March 27, and Jael Flores, 4, of Parañaque.
For his part, National Capital Region Police Office chief, Director Leonardo Espina issued this advice: “Kung hindi inyo ang anak, may kaukulang parusa under our law yan. Hindi niyo pwedeng angkinin ’yan. Kaya isoli niyo na agad . . . We will give you all the benefit of the doubt.”
(Don’t take a child if the child isn’t yours because there is a penalty for that under the law. You cannot keep the child as your own. Better return the child to the parents.)
For any information, he said authorities can be contacted through mobile phone number 0917 856 10 40.
He also said police are looking into possibility of putting up monetary rewards for any information that may lead authorities to the missing children.