Dino to Taliño: Find child missing in Lapu fire

Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino visited the fire victims at the evacuation center of Pusok National High School and consoled the mother who lost her child during the fire. 
(CDN PHOTO/NORMAN MENDOZA)

THE eight-year-old daughter of a fire victim in UPA Matumbo, Barangay Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City still remained missing as of last night.

Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino requested Police Regional Director Noli Taliño to organize a team to find the missing child.

The mother, Francisca Nacional, was helping her children aged 15, 10, 8 and 1 escape from her burning house through a window at the second floor.

In the scurry, she noticed that her 8-year-old Jacel was no longer with her.

Dino visited the evacuation center at the Pusok National High School yesterday afternoon and distributed food packs for the fire victims.

He consoled the mother of the missing child and told her that he had already requested the police to find her daughter who had been missing since dawn Sunday, when the fire broke out.

Fire officials said they didn’t find any human remains in the debris left by the fire.

A report, however, surfaced yesterday that there were burnt bones discovered in the fire scene but could not be determined if these were human bones.

Dino said the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) is now verifying the report.

The missing child’s aunt Juvelyn Cabillo, who lives in Barangay Ibo, was the one who went to the police station and had the incident entered in the police blotter and provided the police with a photo of the child yesterday.

Nacional, in an interview with CDN, said her relatives have gone to the hospitals to look for the child in case she was brought for treatment but their efforts remained futile.

“Manawagan ko kung kinsa nakakita sa akong anak, palihug ibalik intawon siya, hinaot nga tan-awon sa mga pulis ang nakit-an nga mga bukog didto sa nasunogan kay basin iya to,” said Nacional. (I am callling on those who might have seen my child to please return her to me. I am also asking the police to examine the bones found at the fire scene as it could be her remains.)

Nacional is also trying to locate the father of her child, Celo Erguelles, who is now living in Sta. Maria, Davao to inform him of what happened. They have long been separated.

Dino also promised Nacional and the other fire victims that he will coordinate with Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza regarding the construction of one million housing units in the Visayas area, which is among the plans of President Rodrigo Duterte, to be realized through the help of an investor.

The fire affected 295 house owners and 110 renters, or a total of 1,164 individuals. They can only stay at the evacuation center until Friday as classes will start on Monday. They will have move to the gymnasium until they can find a place to stay.