CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — After eleven days of searching, the missing 21-year-old female college student was finally found and reunited with her parents on Saturday morning, March 14.
However, the reasons for her disappearance remain unclear.
Jannah Balag Sarabosing, a second-year Bachelor of Science in Social Work student at the University of Southern Philippines Foundation in Cebu City and a native of Barangay Juagdan, Ubay town in Bohol, had been renting a dormitory near the school. She was previously reported missing since March 3.
Her sudden disappearance prompted her parents, relatives, friends, and the university’s student government body to seek assistance through radio stations, social media, and the police. However, she was formally reported missing at the Cebu City Police Office – Mabolo Police Station 4 only on March 9.
Upon conducting backtracking operations, police investigators discovered from closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage that Jannah was last seen riding a motorcycle with an unidentified motorcycle-for-hire driver at the back portion of the university at approximately 12:59 p.m. on March 3, appearing to leave the school premises.
While relentless search efforts continued on the 11th day, Jannah’s parents finally received a call from their missing daughter herself around 11 p.m. on Friday, March 13.
In an interview with The Freeman yesterday, Jannah’s father, Benjamin Sarabosing Jr., shared that they were in Bohol when their daughter called. He said that she was crying and asking them for an apology.
“Siya gyud mismo ang ning tawag namo. Naghilak siya ug nangayo og pasaylo,” he said.
They then agreed to meet her in Cebu and bring her back home to Bohol.
At around 5 a.m. on Saturday, March 14, Benjamin immediately booked a sea trip from Getafe Port in Bohol to Pier 1 in Cebu City with his wife, Divina Sarabosing, his sister, and his youngest daughter to meet Jannah.
When the ship docked in the city, they decided to go their separate ways so they could easily find her around the pier area. By 9 a.m., Benjamin himself was the first to see Jannah.
“Syempre nakahilak sa kalipay…Syempre gigakos gyud,” he said, recalling the moment when he finally saw her daughter.
Instead of reprimanding her or probing into what had happened, he shared that they assured Jannah that she is loved and cared for despite her mistakes, saying they do not want her to be stressed.
“Wala namo pangutan-a ngano ug unsa. Wala gyud mi nag sukit-sukit. Never namo gikasab-an para dili ma i-stress,” said Benjamin.
“Kabaw ming nakasala siya. So, wa gyud namo gipa-feel nga nakasala siya until now…Gi pangga gihapon namo at least ma-feel niya nga ingon ana namo siya ka pinangga,” he added.
Benjamin said they would only talk about the incident when their daughter’s condition improves, considering that she still needs to rest properly.
“Kapag maka-recover na siya, amo siya patug-anon (sa) tanan, istoryaan tanan pero dili pa karon…Gipapahuway usa namo,” the father said.
Currently, Jannah has returned home with her family to their hometown in Ubay, Bohol.
When asked about the family’s plans for Jannah, Benjamin shared that he and his wife have agreed to temporarily take their daughter out of school.
Additionally, the parents are also considering having Jannah evaluated by a psychiatrist to determine her condition, depending on their observations of her actions.
Meanwhile, when Jannah was finally seen safe and unharmed, the Sarabosing family notified and thanked the people who extended assistance in searching for their daughter, particularly the police investigators of Mabolo Police Station 4, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the National Bureau of Investigation, as well as their relatives, lawyers, and other local government and police officials in Cebu and Bohol.
| Written by Nicholas Jon Malaga/IHM
