ILOILO CITY, Philippines — The Police Regional Office-Region 6 debunked anew recent reports about men roaming in several towns in Iloilo province to abduct grade school children for internal organs.
PRO-6 director, Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, Jr., said their investigation led them to believe that the information stemmed from prank text messages, which were circulated by alarmed citizens.
"There's no truth to it. We haven't received any complaint that could indicate that it could possibly be true," he said, adding that some parents might have used as reference earlier reports of abduction of children for human organs in this city to scare their children.
The text message stated: "Beware of a van with plate number XMN-531, confirmed to operate in Mina Pototan area. Four kids are reported missing in Zarraga. 8-15 age sang ginakidnap nila, ginapatay kag kuhaan internal organs. Pls forward. From Jun Pasaporte, Pototan police."
Pototan, Mina, and Zarraga are neighboring towns in Iloilo province.
Senior Insp. Lorenez Losaria, Pototan Police chief, confirmed that he has a policeman named SPO2 Jun Pasaporte. "But he has nothing to do with that text message. He was at a loss why his name was used to circulate wrong information," he said.
Losaria also confirmed that no report of abduction for the purpose of human organs existed in his area.
The abduction scare actually started last August in Molo district of this city when three pupils of Baluarte Elementary School there claimed that a group of four persons tried to kidnap them.
Parents and pupils were engulfed with apprehensions after reports that there is a group involved in the abduction of children for smuggling of human organs or prostitution.
The NBI-6 and the local police however allayed these fears claiming that they have not received a single report or any information about it. Officially, there was no one who was reported abduction in Iloilo City.
The Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), in several instances since, also denied that such incident ever existed.
Senior Supt. Marietto Valerio, ICPO director, said stories will have twist if it passes from one person to the other. "We thought all along that by making this alleged abduction public, ma-wa-warn ang mga parents and students. But we were proven wrong. It somehow created panic and paranoia," he added.
While it always good to play safe, Valerio appealed to the people to stick with the facts in reporting sensitive issues. —(FREEMAN)