18/01/2025
Kidnapped Hopes and Dreams
Yuan-Grace P. Medina
Kidnapping is one of the common crimes experienced in the Philippines. Recently, Barangay Sta. Ana Taytay Rizal has been in the news reported as one of the places that has most kidnapping cases.
There were four reported cases of kidnapping in the same area with a very little time in between. With the kids’ safety on the line, the Municipality heightened their security.
An eight year old girl named Rylai Kaye Barrun went missing for three days from September 16-18, 2024 and later found dead on September 19 inside a sack suffering from stab wounds.
“Wala naman kaming kaaway. Inaamin ko parehas kaming abala sa trabaho ng kanyang ama kaya minsan sya ay napapasama sa kanyang mga kaibigan sa labas at madalas ay ginagabi. Hindi ko inakala na isang araw magiging biktima sya ng isang karumaldumal na krimen.” the mother of the victim emotionally stated in her facebook post.
The girl reportedly joined her peers to play outside during night time. However, they did not notice when she left and just shrugged it off thinking she already went home.
The following day, the parents took the hunt in social media since they are very much worried that their daughter did not come home.
“Mabait na bata ang anak ko, masunurin at masipag mag aral. Napakasakit bilang ama na hindi ko man lang siya na protektahan sa mga masasamang loob. Gumuho po ang mundo namin. Araw-araw ko sinisisi ang sarili ko kung bakit iyon nangyari sa anak ko.” Mr. Barrun stated when interviewed about how he is coping up with his daughter’s loss.
Other missing children are ages 4-11 and have one thing in common; no guardian visible during the kidnapping.
These instances serve as a reminder for parents to always check on their precious children because people with bad intentions are everywhere and just wait for the perfect time to do their crimes.
The suspect in the killing was caught two days after and is serving time in jail. He was identified as one of their neighbors and was suspected to be under the influence of drugs.
“Ipinapangako po namin na mas lalo naming pag-iigitngin ang seguridad dito sa Taytay upang hindi na ito maranasan ng iba pang kabataan. Ipinapangako ko rin na mananagot ang sinumang gumagawa ng karumaldumal na krimen.” Taytay mayor, Allan De Leon said during an interview.
Editorial Cartoonist: Rheanna S. PIlande