Cops stumped about series of child abductions in Metro Manila

Though still in the middle of their investigation, the Philippine National Police has said that they, as yet, have not found any evidence that suggests a syndicate is behind a series of Metro Manila child abductions, most of which have not been solved. Data from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) shows 38 cases of child abductions in Metro Manila last year. And according to a report on GMA News' "24 Oras", the most recent of these cases police investigators are looking into involves a one-year-old boy, whose abduction Tuesday was caught by the CCTV camera of a nearby establishment. The video, which was shown in the report, shows the child, Buboy Mendoza, being followed by a man wearing Chicago Bulls basketball shorts, a grey shirt, and a scarf around his neck. The man was holding several washbasins. Residents identidied the man as a garbage picker in the area. Buboy's mother, Winifer Batula, last saw her son at 10 a.m., Tuesday morning, when he was playing with their neighbors on San Jose Street in Barangay San Antonio, Quezon City. Hide and seek Two other children from Taguig, James Naraga and Dayne Buenaflor, were also abducted while they were outside playing. In another report on "24 Oras," the children's playmates said that they were playing hide and seek when the the two kids went missing. According to the report, the children have been sighted in Parañaque accompanied by a trashpicker. Meanwhile, the parents of three-year-old Jael Flores are still waiting for their child to be returned to them, six months after he was abducted. According to a third report on "24 Oras", Jael was taken from their compound in Sitio Sto. Niño, Brgy. San Dionisio last October 22, by a yet unidentified woman. His mother Jona had entrusted him to an older cousin when she left the house. In the report, a neighbor said that a woman was seen carrying Jael at the time the child went missing. The witness thought that the woman was a relative or friend of the family. Jael's parents are concerned because their child suffers from asthma, and have asked the kidnappers to return their son. The case is now being investigated by the CIDG. The PNP, meanwhile, has urged the public to be vigilant, reminding parents to keep an eye on their children while they are playing, make sure they do not get too far away from home, and teach them what to do when strangers approach. They also said to report suspicious people as soon as possible. — Amanda Lago/DVM/HS, GMA News