BACOLOD CITY – Mayor Albee Benitez has ordered the Bacolod City Police Office to investigate the murder of a five-year-old girl after she was reported missing since Dec. 21 in Barangay Handumanan here.
Benitez said the city government has taken immediate action on the case which he considered as a heartbreaking and unacceptable tragedy for the community.
“If foul play is confirmed, we will ensure that those responsible face the full force of the law,” Benitez said.
He said that the city government will not rest until they build a community where such heinous acts have no place. “There will be no leniency, no delays, and no tolerance for those who bring harm to our children,” Benitez said.
Benitez paid for the airfare of the victim’s mother and a sibling from Manila to enable them to return to Bacolod on Saturday night, Dec. 28.
Burial arrangements are underway and the city is working with barangay officials to provide the family with comprehensive support.
Benitez said that this tragedy serves as a painful reminder that the safety and well-being of the children demand constant vigilance and collective effort.
“To every resident of Bacolod: I urge you to remain vigilant and proactive,” he added. “Let us stand united in this fight to protect our children, our families, and our city,” he added.
Police Capt. Sherwin Galupar, head of Police Station 10, said the victim was last seen alive by her neighbor on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 21, when she passed by a store but she did not tell her where she was headed.
The victim was also seen playing outside her house and fetched by her sibling during a drizzle and told to sleep that afternoon. The victim’s aunt and sibling did not notice her leaving her house while they were asleep.
Police obtained a copy of a closed-circuit television camera to find any clue on her whereabouts but did not capture her.
Acting Mayor El Cid Familiaran visited the area where the girl's body was foumd.
The victim was subjected to autopsy to determine the cause of death. “For now, we could not speculate anything,” Galupar said.
Galupar said the victim was positively identified by her sibling through her clothes when her decomposing body was found in a creek on Saturday, Dec. 28.