By Liezelle Soriano

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is diligently working to locate two missing Filipinos in Israel amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas group a ranking official said.

However, OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio admitted Friday that there haven’t been any recent updates concerning the two missing individuals.

“I fervently hope and pray that they are found, perhaps through a stroke of luck,” Ignacio expressed during a radio interview.

“One of them… the spouse, I personally took her in at OWWA because I felt sympathy for her being there, away from her family, without anyone to turn to. She stayed with us for several days, and we provided her with accommodation to reassure her of our support. Her child was also with her, and we made sure to keep them entertained,” he added.

Despite the lack of updates on the situation of the missing Filipinos, Ignacio assured that OWWA is actively involved in these cases.

In the meantime, authorities are coordinating the repatriation of the remains of the four Filipinos killed in the war.

“We’re arranging the return of the remains of Loreta Alacre from Negros. The flight is scheduled for October 21,” he confirmed.

“I’m just trying to recall all the dates; there are so many of these cases, all happening at once.”

On Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced the unfortunate loss of another Filipino in Israel, bringing the total number of Filipino fatalities to four.

(ai/mnm)

According to authorities, Miss Grand Philippines 2023 contestant, Catherine Camilon, was last seen at a shopping mall in Lemery, Batangas hours before she was reported as missing.

GMA Regional TV Balitang Southern Tagalog reported that the Tuy Police Station obtained closed-circuit television footage from the mall, which showed Camilon walking alone on the evening of October 12 at 7 p.m. This footage was recorded before her last message to her mother, where she stated that she was at a gas station in Bauan.

Pauline Fernando, the public information office chief of the Batangas Police Provincial Office, mentioned that there were no CCTV recordings available from Bauan.

Catherine’s mother, Rosario, had been in contact with her daughter until around 3:30 a.m. on October 13, after which all communication was lost. Catherine had informed her mother that she was heading to Batangas City for a meeting with Balisong Channel, an online media company she had worked with in the past.

However, Balisong Channel, in an October 18 statement, stated that Catherine did not visit their office and had not been in contact since December 13, 2021. The company emphasized that there were no ongoing collaborations, communications, or contractual agreements with her.

They encouraged the public to reach out to the authorities regarding Catherine’s whereabouts and expressed their hope for her safe return.

Catherine’s sister, Chin-Chin, took to Facebook on October 13, appealing to Catherine’s colleague who had been with her the night before she disappeared. Chin-Chin mentioned that Catherine called her at 8 p.m. on October 12, but her phone went dead the following morning. She also shared details about Catherine’s car, including its model and plate number, along with a poster containing Catherine’s age, height, and their mother’s mobile number.

Catherine, who participated in Miss Grand Philippines in July, is not only a beauty queen but also a public school teacher in Tuy.

(Amado Inigo/mnm)