By Jennifer P. Rendon
Residents of Zone 3, Barangay Baldoza, La Paz, Iloilo City, breathed a sigh of relief after two young children who went missing on Saturday were found alive.
Ronald, 4, and Camelle, 5, were discovered inside an abandoned vehicle within a fenced property, about 50 meters from their home, around 7:45 a.m. on October 13.
The children were last seen around 10 a.m. on Saturday. When their parents called them for lunch, they could not be found.
By noon, they were reported missing to police authorities.
Their families and neighbors searched for the children throughout the day.
The following morning, Rolly dela Cruz heard a faint pounding sound. He investigated the source and was led to the abandoned vehicle near his yard.
He claimed to have seen a shadow of a child inside the car. Dela Cruz sought help from neighbors, and they used a crowbar to break the windshield.
The two children were found inside, physically fine but hungry.
Ronald identified himself and confirmed that he knew his parents. Camelle was shaken and hysterical.
Both children were taken to the hospital for medical check-ups.
According to Ronald, they had been playing with other neighborhood children when they entered a neighbor’s property.
They saw toys inside the car and went in to retrieve them. A playmate allegedly closed the car door while they were inside, and they couldn’t figure out how to open it.
The two cried but eventually fell asleep during the night.
Dela Cruz mentioned that he left home on Saturday and forgot to lock the gate. The children likely entered the vehicle through an open passenger door.
Meanwhile, the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) confirmed that no crime was involved.
However, the ICPO recommended psychological intervention to assess the children’s mental well-being after the incident.
