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Three Pinoy senior citizens 'missing' after layover in China
Three Filipino senior citizens on their way back to the Philippines from the United States have reportedly been missing for a week after making a layover in Shanghai, China.
According to Florence Guce, his mother, Erlinda Varela Guce, 70, Josefina Varela Baysic, 72, and Pacita De Guzman, 77, left John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City via China Eastern Airlines Flight MU 298 on Friday, August 9, after a five-month vacation in the United States.
The plane was supposed to land at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China on August 10 for a 14-hour layover. Their connecting flight, China Eastern Airlines Flight MU 211 from Shanghai, was scheduled to arrive at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 at 11:10 p.m. on the same day.
Florence, his cousin Marlon David and Jose De Guzman, Pacita's wife, went to NAIA on the night of August 10 to fetch the arriving senior citizens.
"Nandun kami from August 10, 11 p.m. hanggang August 11, 3 a.m. nang Sunday naghihintay kami," he said in a phone interview with GMA News Online.
But around 2 a.m. on Sunday, August 11, Florence said Marlon received a call from Erlinda through a number used by a certain Alzor, a Filipino who was reportedly with the senior citizens at that time.
According to Florence, his mother said their connecting flight was cancelled due to bad weather conditions. She added that the airline company would shoulder their hotel accommodation and meals, but she did not mention where they were billeted.
On August 12, Marlon contacted Alzor to inquire about the rescheduled flight, but the latter said he was transferred to the hotel first before the senior citizens. Alzor also said he does not know where the senior citizens were billeted.
"Ang sabi ni Alzor, verbatim, 'Nauna kasi akong umalis para ihatid sa hotel at naiwan pa sila so hindi ko alam kung saang hotel sila,'" Florence said.
Alzor added that he was scheduled to fly back to the Philippines on August 12 via the same flight that the senior citizens were supposed to be in.
Search for the senior citizens
Florence said he contacted the Makati branch of China Eastern Airlines on the same day to inquire about the details of the senior citizens' rescheduled flight, but its representative said the branch does not have access to such information. He was advised to call the airline company's branch in Shanghai, but their contact numbers were unreachable.
On August 13, Violeta Varela Dungo, Florence's auntie in the United States, called the New York branch of China Eastern Airlines, but she was only asked to leave a message.
On August 15, Alta Dee David, Marlon's wife, called the Philippine Consulate in Shanghai to inform them of the missing senior citizens. She was asked by the office to send an email with the complete details of the passengers.
Alta sent the requested details the following day to the Philippine Consulate in Shanghai, which advised her that the Immigration was already looking for the missing senior citizens.
No plane landed in Shanghai?
On August 17, at around 4 p.m., Michael Anthony David messaged Marlon saying that his friend in Shanghai whom they had asked for help told him that China Eastern Airlines Flight MU 211 did not land in Pudong International Airport in Shanghai but in Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Hubei instead.
Later that day, Marlon received another call from Michael Anthony who told him about the conversation of his friend from Shanghai with China Eastern Airlines' branch there.
Michael Anthony said there were "no records" that the three missing senior citizens were booked in a hotel. He added that there was a booking for the three passengers for a flight from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport to Pudong International Airport on August 12, but there were "no records" that they boarded the plane.
Florence said they failed to contact the missing senior citizens through their devices as these would not connect to Wi-Fi. They also do not have access to social media and messaging sites in China.
"Ang huling information na nakuha namin is, nare-route yung flight nila from Shanghai, nilapag sila sa Wuhan, China. Sabi ni Alzor, nakita pa raw niya yung tatlong sisters doon sa Wuhan tapos bumalik ulit sila sa Shanghai," he said.
Florence said they would now try to coordinate with government agencies here in the Philippines to help them with the senior citizens' whereabouts.
"Bukas pa lang namin sisimulan yung pag-contact sa government agencies dito sa Philippines," he said.
Florence is hoping that they would be able to know the missing senior citizens' whereabouts at the soonest time possible. —LBG, GMA News
