POSD rescues stowaway child
The Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) reported rescuing a nine-year-old girl from an older homeless woman she was staying with next to a waiting shed at Hilltop at the public market.
POSD Head Enforcer Daryll Longid said stall owners reported to the team the case of the young girl who, together with the older woman had been taking up residence at Hilltop for several days already. The duo was seen rummaging through rubbish that had been dumped at the designated garbage collection area, which was causing a stench to linger. Their presence was also obstructing the sidewalk.
“When our team approached and interviewed the older woman, she was unable to give a coherent response, especially when asked about the young girl she was with. This prompted our desk officer, who was called to the scene, to engage the child directly. At first, she was evasive and even gave a false name. But after she was given the assurance that we were there to help her, she broke down and started crying. Our team then decided to take her to our office to interview her further, where we got more information,” the POSD head said.
According to the POSD, the girl was informed that she was from Pandan, Angeles City, Pampanga and she had left home without her parents’ permission to be with her older sister at another barangay in Angeles City.
“Along the way, she met the older woman she was found with, who somehow convinced her to go with her. They arrived in the city three days ago. Our desk officer contacted the chairman of Barangay Pandan in the hopes of getting information about the girl’s family, but the official was unfortunately not familiar with them. He promised to ask around and get in touch with us once he gets useful information,” the POSD said.
As a matter of procedure, the POSD took the child down to the Women’s and Children’s Protection Desk (WCPD) for processing before she was turned over to the city shelter at Silungan under the City Social and Welfare Development Office (CSWDO).
“As for the older woman she was with, who is believed to be a non-local, our enforcers went back to see her, but she had already left the place when our team got there. A directive to locate the woman has been sent out to our different teams so that she can answer why she took the child she was not related to.” – POSD
