Thank you all for your comments, observations, opinions, suggestions, sincere thoughts and most especially your prayers. They’re truly uplifting–soothing my spirit and easing much of the pain away.
I hope we can channel all these goodwill to something positive. Prayers is a good start.
As you pray for Angel, Gabo and me, please pray also for the mother. After all these, I believe there is goodness in her heart that one day soon God will use to lead her to a moment of enlightenment.
I have no intention of putting the mother in a bad light. If you noticed, I deliberately left her name out so us not to make this a personal crusade against her.
All I have written here are facts. They were not meant for anything else except to inspire people to help. Your messages of support are doing great things already. I am deeply moved by your concern and sympathy– at times even holding back tears as I read them. At the same I am all the more emboldened to carry on fighting for what I believe is right and just. And yes, I won’t stop. Not so much for my sake but for the childen’s.
Please continue to help. Keep sending us your thoughts and suggestions. Also referrals to individuals, organizations and agencies that may become instrumental in our efforts. Even real-life cases that can guide us on future course of action. Most of all, please continue praying. Please pray for wisdom and strength for us to push on until Angel is reunited with Gabo and me— the only family she’d known all her life.
Thank you.
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February 23, 2008 at 6:45 pm
marielsgarden
Pare, how are you? Been busy with some relatives visiting from abroad. But I still always think of you and Angel, praying we get a break re: her whereabouts.
Let’s get together with Mon when he’s in town this coming week. Take care and God bless you and your children.
February 28, 2008 at 5:47 am
AngelDad
Hi Bong,
Still struggling but coping I guess. This blog is one those simple things that pick me up when I slip into a dire mood.
Thank you for your prayers. Paraying for you, Mariel and Sam. Thank you for being there for us and most especially for Sam who needs you most of all.
Sorry I have not visited mariel’s garden( http://marielsgarden.wordpress.com ) lately but everytime the thought of your family crosses my mind, I say a silent prayer.
Just advise when yo are free to get together. I hope Mon gets to come this week. Just text me. Salamat pare. Take care too and God bless you and your family.
May 11, 2008 at 10:07 pm
leticia veronica
After my grandson was brought there for vacation trip with his mother and retaining him there, we were not aware of the suffering nor are we as concerned about the the tragedies of International parental abduction since the term parental abductions is not a very common media coverage.
Since that day, we realized the magnitude of the term, that was the time we searched for informations about it. Found out it is indeed Global but a very tragic one because we now know Parental Abduction is not considered a crime in the Philippines, as it is also one of the non-Hague countries.
Have watched videos of it in u-tube and sent also an e-mail to Mr. Smith whose three sons were abducted by their mother from the U.S. He is one of the thousands of left behind- parent. I found out your website the same way but I think it is very good of you to have the courage to stand up for your children and to speak the truth; sometimes no matter what your doing is for the best interest of your child it is very hard to define what is right unless you are considered to be a large group of people.
The same thing as more public awareness would come out in the open especially there in the Philippines might be of help to point out the cruelties,harmful effects of parental abduction. In other countries it is a form of child abuse, since the Philippines has ratified the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, the principles and all the contents of it surely are what Parental abduction`s most tragic weapon against children rights, for we are not dealing about strangers but a parent.
We as adults must join together to end this tragedy or at least do something, to make a change.
I believe in prayers,everyday we should be thankful to God for his blessings. I hope these chapter in our lives will help us to go on and be a more loving human beings.
May 15, 2008 at 3:39 pm
AngelDad
Thank you Leticia. My sympathy to you regarding your grandson. As in the provision of the Hague Convention, may he be brought back to his habitual environment which, I presume, with your side of the family.
Such is the plague of parental abduction— parents who have lost the reasonableness to claim a child would take things into their own hands, uprooting children from their normal lives.
I’m very glad that you steered the discussion here towards governmental policy issues.
Rightly so, the Hague Convention will figure prominently in the debate, both on and off-court.
We have long been wishfully thinking that the Philippines had been a signatory to this accord. This may have been a powerful weapon in our cause to bring back my daughter. Her return may have been certain.
Despite the lack of direct privilege to invoke the Hague provisions, I am hoping that its spirit, by way of analogy, will still be a loud voice that can sway local and international legal decisions in favor of aggrieved left-behind parents.
My goal to bring back Angel is admittedly a very personal crusade. But as thoughts like yours come in, my belief is being affirmed that indeed we have a system that is ill-equipped to deal with, much less prevent the occurrence of cases like this.
God-willing, and if He so empowers us, something can result from this.
I am already preparing some position papers. Hopefully some will earn the attention of policy makers.
I hope you all will all be there always. I’m eternally thankful for your support. I hope to spread it out to causes beyond mine.
Stay in touch and God bless you all.