Teen girl missing in Manila

MANILA, Philippines—A mother has appealed to the Manila Police District to help locate her15-year-old daughter, who has been missing since Friday evening.

Imelda Nangca, mother of missing Rosemarie, fears for her daughter because the girl’s last text message to her mother was about four strangers following her in a busy mall in Divisoria.

Rosemarie informed her mother that she was at 168 Mall in Binondo, Manila, pleading to be picked up by her parents because four men were following her around, Imelda narrated to the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview.

Imelda also told reporters that when she called her daughter at around 7 p.m., a man had answered and said he had only found the cell phone. He allegedly told her: “Relax ka lang,” (“Just relax”) before hanging up. The phone number has remained out of reach since then.

The Nangca family, from Alley St., Taguig, was able to reach the mall at around 7:30 p.m., but they could no longer locate Rosemarie.

Rosemarie was new to Manila, only staying over at her aunt’s place in Moriones St., Tondo, for a vacation since August 31. She was supposed to be picked up there by Imelda on September 3, Saturday.

“She doesn’t go out. When she does, it’s only to go on the computer, and she asks for permission,” Imelda said, in Filipino. “She’s not familiar with Manila.”

Rosemarie’s cousins have told Imelda that indeed, Rosemarie went out on September 2, claiming she would go to a computer shop nearby. She was usually accompanied by her cousins but on September 2, she had instructed the younger ones to just follow her there.

When the cousins went to the shop, however, Rosemarie was nowhere in sight, Imelda said. The 15-year-old had texted Imelda that she wanted to go home to Taguig because she had a stomachache.

From Tondo, Rosemarie apparently made her way to 168 Mall, where her father usually made retail product deliveries. She started to make the frantic text messages to her mother at around 6 p.m. “Mama dalian mo kasi may apat na lalaki na sumusunod sa akin dito,” (“Mama, please hurry because four men are following me here,”) was her last text.

Imelda described Rosemarie as having brown complexion and shoulder-length hair with blonde highlights. Any person who may know her whereabouts may contact Imelda at 09196131196.