‘Lost’ boy at airport may get to fly after all

A 24-year-old working student pledged a portion of his meager life savings to buy a plane ticket that would reunite the eight-year-old boy with his mother in Surigao del Norte.

Charles Stevens Madrigal, who works in a restaurant in Laguna to pay for his college tuition, called up The Star after reading the story of the boy who slipped past security at NAIA Terminal I in a bid to catch a plane ride to Surigao so he can be with his mother.

The boy, whose identity has been withheld, had only a few pesos in his pocket, knew only a few words in Tagalog since he spoke in the Cebuano dialect, and was badly in need of a bath and clean clothes during his "tour" of the NAIA complex last Wednesday afternoon.

In his airport adventure, the boy was able to reach the Gate 16 departure area without a passport and airplane ticket, which are required in getting through the security checks at several entry checkpoints at Terminal 1.

He is now in the custody of the Manila International Airport Authority’s emergency and security services office.

In a phone interview yesterday, Madrigal said he understood what the boy was going through.

Losing his mother and father at the age of seven, Madrigal said he knew what it was like to be alone in the world.

"I was just moved by the boy’s courage in his quest to be with his mom. Nakakarelate ako sa kanya," he said. "I am just a poor boy, too, working and studying here in Laguna. Just let me know if the child’s background is established so I can extend help for his trip back home."

Exhibiting real concern for the boy’s welfare, Madrigal, a freshman at a computer school in Laguna, said he wants to be sure that the boy’s mother was really in Surigao as the boy had told airport authorities.

"I want to confirm that his mother is waiting for him in Surigao. Otherwise, he will be much safer with the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development ).

Meanwhile, the DSWD has also offered to help the boy be reunited with his mother.

DSWD Secretary Luwalhati Pablo said they would coordinate with the airport officials to ensure that the boy is properly taken care of.

"We’ll help him. We will bring him to his mother," she added. – With Sheila Crisostomo