KM Viray
A Facebook page named Help Us Find Jose Ja-El P. Flores was created by the Flores family to help in their search for their missing son.
Then three-year-old Jose Ja-El Penamora Flores was abducted in October 2012. He was last seen in the Olivarez Compound, Parañaque City. He was supposed to turn four years old in November 2012 and should be turning seven years old this year. He has a birthmark on his forehead. At the time, Jose was diagnosed with asthma.
According to witnesses, Ja-el was last seen being carried off by a woman exiting the gate of the compound around 4 to 6 pm. His mother was not present at the time and his father was working overseas. She had left Ja-el with his 17-year-old cousin as usual as she ran errands at the bank and at school. The mother was also confident about leaving her son with her sister-in-law.
After searching for hours and reporting the incident to barangay officials, the mother received a text message that her son was kidnapped for ransom. Despite all the reports made to the Philippine National Police, anti-kidnapping groups, and other agencies, they still failed to recover Jose.
“Wala pong nangyari kasi ‘di na po nakipag-communicate ang kidnapper, may mga naimbistigahan na mga pwedeng suspect, may nag positive na nga po sa lie detector, pero wala pa din pong nangyari, kasi wala pong ebedinsiya. [Nothing happened because the kidnapper no longer communicated with us. The police had possible suspects, there were some who tested positive on a lie detector, but still nothing happened because there was no evidence.]”
When Ja-el’s father found out about what happened, he immediately flew home and left no stone unturned in looking for their son. They tried all means they could think of: contacting television and radio stations and print media companies, even consulting fortune tellers and faith healers. They exhausted all their money, which led the father to go back abroad to earn more since they had other children to care for.
Ja-el’s mother remains heartbroken. She blames herself for entrusting her child to the wrong people. Unfortunately, not all netizens are sympathetic towards her. Many blamed her for her negligence, while others blamed her husband. Some even accused them of owing somebody money and the kidnapping was the payment.
She also answered those who questioned her on whether they had a suspect.
“Sa mga nagtatanong kung may suspect, kakilala ko ba ang kumuha o may kinalaman sa anak ko? OPO ayon narin sa invistagation (sic) na possible na iyong suspect ay kilala namin pero tulad ng sinabi ko wala po kasing ebedinsiya, sabi ko nga po kung papahintulutan lang ng batas natin ang kutob ng Isang Ina, maituturo ko po kung sino?…Alam ko pong may mag tatanong naman na (alam ko pala bakit Di ako kumilos?) Sana nga po ganun kadali? [To those asking if we have a suspect, you think I know who took my child? Yes, the investigation showed we might know the suspect, but like I said, we have no evidence. If only the courts would allow the mere instinct of a mother to identify the kidnapper. To those also asking that if I already had a suspect and yet I didn’t do anything about it, do you think it’s that easy?]”
The mother also asked the public to stop being judgmental and simply asked for their support and prayers. She hoped that whoever took Ja-el would realize how he would feel if one of his own children had been taken.
Currently, the family is offering a 170,000-peso reward (up from an initial reward of 100,000 pesos) to whoever can give information about Ja-El’s whereabouts, saying this money was collected from the many citizens who have helped the family out.
