My friend's 7 year old boy was kidnapped and amputated by a syndicate.
As I examine all events and remnants of the past, I could not get over this one incident happened to one of my colleagues, a life story that deeply struct me so much.
Way back 2010, we are the organizing officers for our homeowners association for urban poor families in “Kapisanan ng mga Mahihirap" San Pedro chapter.
Lydia is one of my colleagues who works as our secretary. She is also employed on one of the private firm in Pasay at the same time. Just an ordinary citizen, she performs her duties of work in due time and can still manage to take care her three children, the eldest is 10 years old, a 7 year old, and a 4 year old as youngest. Her husband is a government casual employee, who is waiting for his promotion to regular within that year.
They live a simple life, they rent an apartment, rents school bus for children, and an 8am to 5pm work for both of them, they have same routine everyday.
Usually every Sunday they attend church mass and spends time in malls to have a bond with one another. They enjoy fads and mania out there for the benefit of their children’s pleasure.
One Sunday while in a mall, one of her child (the 7 year old boy) was lost and nowhere to find. The mall was crowded by shoppers during weekends, so when you're searching somebody, it's just like searching needle in trash.
They've searched around the mall, they’ve asked lots of people, they’ve confronted all security guards, even paged for the boy several times, but still failed to find her kid. Lydia and her husband is freaking out and almost cried. They slept in the police station hoping that somebody will report her lost son. Until another day comes, still no shadow of her little boy showed.
Lydia was unable to work because of the incident. Everyday she goes to the same mall wishing to find him. Going street by street asking everyone, showing pictures of the boy. She almost lost hope and almost forgotten that her other child needs her attention as well.
Her husband hired somebody to look for his kid in absence of him. He can't leave his work because they need money to sustain their expenses in finding the child. Until Lydia filed a resignation from her work since she is unable to perform her work diligently and can't have proper time to concentrate looking for her son.
She kneeled all around the churches begging God for mercy that she could find her little boy and bring back their normal life. We wholeheartedly pitied for her. We can't do anything but to contributed a small amount of money to help for their expenses. A mother who lost her child is really great depression. “It is better to see my son died in illness than to lose him without any remains seen. It is an agony for me and I can't move on", she told us in tears.
Several months has passed which becomes years, until one day, Lydia got a news. Call it coincidence, her neighbor’s tenant who is now in Hong Kong as domestic helper told her that she recognizes one of her child in Hong Kong along the street, crippled and begging for alms.
“During our day-off we usually meet my Filipino friends there alongside the park. This kid is begging us for money catches my attention and when I turn to him, I told him, Did I know you? You looked like Lydia's son. The one who always buys sugar in our boarding house store. Then he just nodded and pleading that he wants to go home. Then I told him, What happened to your legs, arms and eyes. He doesn't answer. A man walks beside him and fetched him. When I went home, I'm thinking of calling immediately Aling Cara (The landlady of our boarding house) and I knew it.”
The domestic helper narrated her story.
Lydia immediately arranged a flight to Hong Kong after she was alarmed by foregoing facts about her child. She’s shocked and couldn't utter a word when she saw her child’s situation.
Her child was kidnapped by a malicious gang syndicate and brought them (together with other 6 children) to Hong Kong and sold them to another syndicate. They operated their one eye and sold it. They amputated their arms and legs in order for them to be crippled and let them do the alms pleading while are watched by syndicate. What a cruel incident to happen to a boy. This impacted him physically and psychologically throughout his life. It was devastating to Lydia and her family, the damage has greatly affected their lives. And she blames herself for being irresponsible for her child protection. With this kind of tremor, she thought of an action should be able to do to safeguard the lives of their children. The impact causes more severe despondency with her being until now. But life must to go on.
THERE IS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL
After those frustrating events, God has showered all the blessings on earth to them. Lydia told us that the wheel of life turned into upward motion reaching their fortune that they never expected their whole life.
Today, Lydia’s husband was promoted not only to a regular employee but to a high executive position that his salary tripled than before. When Lydia resigned from work, she applied as sales agent of house and lot, condominium, and residential unit in Mandaluyong and now she became the overall manager of the said firm. She now owns a house and lot in one of the prominent subdivision in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
After knowing their stories, the governor of Pasay issued Certificate of full Scholarship to her son who is now disabled due to amputated legs and arms, until he finishes his college degree. Her eldest daughter consistently stayed as an honor student and was offered also free scholarship as well.
Isn't life really amazing? Nobody can question our mishap in the eyes of God. Life is full of unexpected events that sometimes we don't have the capacity to control.
LESSON LEARNED
“BE VIGILANT FOR YOUR CHILDREN PROTECTION SPECIALLY DURING THEIR GROWING YEARS. AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE DON'T LET THEM OUT OF YOUR SIGHT MUCH MORE IF THEY ARE STILL UNDER YOUR CARE AND BELOW 16 YEARS OLD. EVEN IF THEY’RE INSIDE THE HOUSE, IMPLEMENT RULES AND GUIDANCE FOR FAMILY PROTECTION.
CHILDREN HAS BEEN REPORTED LOST RECENTLY AND NEVER RECOVERED BY THE OFFICIALS. SEVERAL WHITE VAN WAS SEEN ABDUCTED STUDENTS WHILE WALKING ALONE. PRECAUTIONS ALWAYS PUT INTO EFFECT"
