Police in Tubigon have been on alert after reports on suspicious personalities roaming villages to kidnap unsuspecting children surfaced in the previous days.
According to PO2 Ronald Manlangit of the Tubigon Police Station, accounts that have spread indicated that Filipino-speaking suspects roamed the town on board a motorcycle, car or van identifying themselves as tutors for three to six-year-olds.
Manlangit said that they have already received a report from a resident noting that a child at one of the town’s villages was nearly taken by the said suspects.
A van reportedly stopped in front of a group of children as the passengers asked them to board the vehicle, but the kids were able to escape as they ran away.
Following the reported incident, police and Philippine Army personnel have been dispatched to secure villages in Tubigon and alert residents to be wary of the alleged kidnappers.
Police have since been urging residents to report suspicious activities and personalities roaming the town.
However, Manlangit said that they continue to verify the accuracy of the information that has spread throughout villages in the town while they sustain efforts to prevent actual kidnapping cases.
Similar reports have also spread in other towns including Sikatuna and Sierra Bullones, but are also still undergoing verification. (Allen Doydora)