News: Missing five-year-old girl in Cebu returns to family

A five-year old girl who was reportedly kidnapped at an elementary school in Cebu Thursday last week returned to her family Monday after four days in captivity.

The victim, Suhaiba Punut, arrived at her mother's store in a downtown mall 1 p.m. Monday, four days after she went missing.

The victim reportedly told authorities that the suspect, whose name she does not know, paid a public utility vehicle to take her to the mall where her mother, Sanairah Punit, has a store.

The girl said she did not know her kidnapper's name, but described the place where she was brought as "a small house with many small houses around it."

"[The suspect] gave me food to eat but sometimes she spanks me, I don't know why," Suhaiba reportedly said.

Suhaiba was reportedly abducted Thursday last week as she was waiting for her mother to fetch her after kindergarten class in Mambaling Elementary school at around 11 a.m. Based on accounts of witnesses, an unidentified woman had reportedly approached her and led her away on a black motorcycle.

The victim's family immediately reported the incident to the police’s Regional Intelligence Division (RID) which later released a cartographic sketch of the suspect based on witness accounts.

RID chief, Melvin Ramon Buenafe, reportedly said that the possible motive for the abduction is not money, since no ransom demand was issued, but family problems. The victim's family, however, insisted that they did not have enemies.

Suhaiba later revealed that the suspect had told her that she had been sent by the girl's mother and that she had asked permission from Suhaiba's mother to take her home for the evening.

Witnesses reportedly described the suspect as "boyish", about 28 to 30 years old, 5'5 in height, with brown complexion and shoulder-length hair. The suspect reportedly entered the school's gates, talked to the victim, and even offered her food. Accompanied by the suspect, the victim reportedly then informed her cousin, a grade 4 student at the same school, that she would be leaving with her but instead left with the suspect on a black motorcycle.

The victim's mother said she would have her daughter checked for trauma and physical injuries. The Punuts reportedly will also pull Suhaiba out of school in order to prevent the same incident from happening.

School safety quizzed

Mambaling Elementary School's security guard, Pablo Labunog, recounted the incident, saying that the suspect had asked to take Suhaiba with her in order to help the victim find a phone and call her mother. Labunog also said that the victim looked at ease with the suspect, and so allowed the woman to take Suhaiba.

“The kid does not talk or come near to anyone she doesn’t like or she doesn’t know. She bites people who try to come near her when she doesn’t know them. But that time, it was Suhaiba who came near to the woman, so I assumed she was a family member who was there to pick her up,” Labunog reportedly said.

The victim's mother, however, blamed the school for failing to ensure her child's safety.

Bernardita Ynclino, the school's principal, however, said that the incident could have been prevented if Suhaiba's mother had been able to fetch her child on time.

“Had the mother came earlier to pick her child from school, it should have not happened. We advise parents of our pupils to come at least 15 minutes before their children are released from their classes,” said Ynclino.

The school's kindergarten coordinator, Cris Palen, also said that the victim's mother usually picks her child up very late.

“She is always left without lunch because her mother comes late to pick her up. Sometimes the teachers would have to take her in and share their lunch with Suhaiba,” Palen said.

The victim's mother, however, refused to comment.

* Sometimes parent's can be blame for this. Because they are too busy with their business or jobs that they tend to forget time and their responsibility that they have a child/ children to attend to. Though at times, you could understand their situation because they are doing it also to earn and give a good future for thier children. I remember once that I was fetched really late in school. My parent's thought I was already home because my siblings were already present. And they forgot that I had tutorial during that day. I was supposed to be fetched at 5:00 PM and they noticed I was still not at home at 6:00 PM, so that was the time they have to send someone to fetch me. Whew!!! It was terrible because all my friends were fetched and only few of us were left and some were not even my schoolmates. The guard won't release us unless someone would pick-us up. Now, I understand that the guards were just doing their duty. Before, I hate them soo much because they were strict. Now I truly understand why they have to do it.*