Alarming: Another 5-yr old girl kidnapped in Cebu Pier!

 CEBU CITY -- A soldier lost his gun, cash and laptop on Wednesday to a man who befriended him, then took the items along with his five-year-old daughter.
Corporal Edwin Bataan, 31, spent two hours frantically searching for his child, with the help of the Mobile Patrol Group (MPG) of the Cebu City Police Office.


The search ended inside a fastfood chain's outlet in downtown Cebu City, where the child was found in the establishment's play pen.

The child said the man told her to play and wait for him to bring back some burgers.

"Hindi na siya bumalik. Iniwan ako (He never came back. He left me)," she said.
Police began a manhunt Wednesday afternoon, after Bataan of the Philippine Army and his daughter identified the suspect through the rogues' gallery kept by the Theft and Robbery Section. The gallery is a file of photographs of felons previously arrested by the police.

Bataan's ordeal began at 2 p.m. He found his daughter about two hours later, but his bag was nowhere in sight.

Bataan, who is with the 1st Light Armor Battalion under the 1st Infantry Division based in Pagadian City, said his bag contained his .45 pistol, which was personal property; an Asus laptop worth P35,000; P50,000 cash; and assorted jewelry worth around P50,000.

Bataan and his daughter arrived in Cebu from Ozamis City on Wednesday morning. He told reporters he and his daughter were heading for Pangasinan, where Bataan comes from, for a vacation.
His wife stayed in Zamboanga del Sur with their younger child, a one-year-old boy.
From the port area, he and his daughter went to the Cebu Ferries Terminal on Wednesday to buy tickets for Manila. It was past 8 a.m. when they got there.

Acting
It was at the terminal that they met the suspect, whom the child later identified only as "Kuya Rex."
The man asked Bataan and other people at the terminal about a vessel schedule for Manila, saying he wanted to go to Batangas.
Bataan said he informed the man that he and his daughter transferring to the Sulpicio Lines Terminal because one of its vessels was scheduled to leave for Manila at 8 p.m.
The suspect went with them and befriended them.
From 9 a.m. to past 1 p.m., Bataan, his daughter and the man stayed at the terminal in Pier 5.
Bataan said he was forced to leave the terminal when his daughter asked for food. He decided to go to a nearby mall to get a fastfood meal.
Before leaving, however, he told his daughter to take care of their belongings and never to walk away from the area.
Bataan said the suspect also went with him, saying he, too, needed some food.
When they reached the mall, however, "Kuya Rex" parted with Bataan, saying he wanted to check some items in the department store.
When Bataan returned to the terminal, his daughter and his things were no longer there.
"Sabi ng mga tao du'n kinuha na raw ng kasama ko (The other people there told me my companion took my daughter and my things)," he said.

Search
Bataan said he reported his loss to the Mabolo Police Station, which in turn spread the news to other police units.
The search lasted for about two hours, before the police received a call about a child inside the fastfood chain in downtown Cebu City.
In an interview at the police station, Bataan's daughter said "Kuya Rex" arrived at the terminal and told her he would bring her to her father.
"Alis na tayo. Punta na tayo sa Papa mo," the child said, quoting the suspect. They boarded a taxi.

He took more than P200 from her for the cab fare and supposedly to buy some food. He then left her in the play pen.

SPO2 Fe Altubar of the women's desk of the Mabolo Police Station, who interviewed the child, said she believes the suspect was after only the cash and valuables and didn't intend to kidnap the girl.
After learning the incident, the Central Command through its spokesperson, Major Christopher Tampus, provided Bataan and his daughter shelter at Camp Lapu-Lapu.
Tampus said that Bataan will press charges against the suspect before he leaves Cebu.

(Source: Sunstar)