Adopted Filipino girl from Michigan looking for birth family here in Cebu

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A daughter who is a thousand miles from home, takes to social media in the hopes of reconnecting with her family in Lapu-Lapu City.

Bria Jaycel Squires, 27, was born in Lapu-Lapu City on May 21, 1992, to her birth mother, Jocelyn Esteban.

Squires, who was born Jaycel May Esteban, told CDN Digital that she did not have any memory of her birth family but just a name for her birth mother that was given to her by her adoptive mother.

“I was adopted through the Children’s Shelter of Cebu. I was put up for adoption because my mother couldn’t take care of me at the time and wanted me to have a better life,” she said.

Squires was one of the lucky ones back then who was given a brand new start at life, in another country.

“I moved to Michigan, USA, May 18, 1993, and grew up there with my adoptive family,” she said.

Although having a very successful life in the States working as a professional personal trainer, Squires knew she still had a missing piece to this puzzle of life.

“I looked for them through social media before in my teenage years but never really made a big effort. Now that I’m wanting to start a family I wanted some questions answered,” said Squires.

Squires was supposed to get married last May 9th to her fiancè, Stephen, but this was put on hold because of the COVID-19 situation.

This also gave Squires more time to look for her birth family, and she made a Youtube video, hoping that she might be reconnected with her family before starting a family of her own.

“If I find them, I would love to talk and get to know them. I would hug them and let them know how much I love them. And appreciate them giving me this life and opportunity,” she said.

Squires has nothing but some unanswered questions for her family, who she suspects to still be living in Lapu-Lapu City or in Cagayan de Oro today.

Here is Squires’ video — her attempt to rekindle her connection with her birth family whom she never had contact with for nearly three decades./dbs