Cebu City dad to parents: Monitor outside movement of kids

Jea Mae and Mikaela were seen in a photo screen captured from the security camera of one of the houses in Talisay City walking outside the subdivision the Alam-Alam family is residing. | contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Philip Zafra, the chairperson for the committee on peace and order, appeals to parents to monitor the movement of their children following the four missing girls reported by distraught parents with at least three of them Cebu City residents.

Zafra said that the missing girls are alarming since no one can say for certain if they are safe.

The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has begun the search following the report filed by one of the parents, particularly that of 12-year-old Mikaela Ayesha Alam-Alam.

READ: Parents of missing 12-year-old minor appeals to public to help them locate their daughter

“Ato gihangyo atong kapulisan nga imbestigaran gyod ni aron matrace, makit-an gyod ning mga bata. Nag-awhag pud ta sa mga ginikanan nga mocooperate nga unsay tan-aw nila nga hinungdan kung simbako gikidnap ba ni sila or unsa.”

“This is really alarming kay upat na gud sila. Pero as of now naghuwat ta sa update sa atong kapulisan,” said Zafra.

According to Paolo Romeo Alam-Alam, father of Mikaela, their daughter was with her nanny, a one-year-old sibling, and her brother-in-law when she went missing.

A certain Jea Mae, 12, reportedly a classmate of Michaela who resides in Barangay Pasil in Cebu City went to Mikaela’s house around 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 18. Jea Mae is also missing as of this posting.

The two were caught in a security camera outside the subdivision. A concerned citizen sent photos from the security camera to the police.

Zafra said that parents must monitor the movement of their children who are still minors when they leave their homes because the safety of children should always be a top priority.

In this pandemic when children below 15 years old are not allowed to leave their homes, it is imperative for parents to look out for their children because their leaving the house entails an unseen danger of getting the COVID-19.

The vaccination of minors is yet to commence in Cebu, which means minors are highly vulnerable to the virus.

Yet more than the pandemic, the physical safety of the children should be ensured by the parents, Zafra said.

“Kung naa ganiy missing, diretso gyod dayon report sa kapulisan aron mapangita dayon,” he said.

The councilor also appealed to the public to be on the lookout for the missing girls and report to the police immediately if they find clues as to their whereabouts.

He encouraged city residents to do their part in locating the lost children as they could be anywhere now.     /rcg

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