Catherine Camilon's mom hopes for missing beauty queen's safe return home

The mother of the missing Miss Grand Philippines 2023 candidate Catherine Camilon has only one wish for her upcoming birthday: for her daughter to safely return home.

According to Denice Abante's report on GMA Regional TV Balitang Southern Tagalog, the 26-year-old beauty queen went out on Friday at 6 p.m. to meet someone in Batangas City.

Catherine's mother, Rosario, said that her daughter was inside her SUV at a gasoline station in Bauan, Batangas when she last sent a message.

After a few hours passed, they were already unable to reach the beauty queen and teacher.

"Simula nga ho noong mauso 'yang cellphone na 'yan,  'yang internet na 'yan, wala ho siyang araw na hindi siya nagsasabing, 'ina nandito ako, ina ako ay nakain.' Ganyan ho updated ho siya," Rosario said.

Ahead of her birthday, Rosario wishes her daughter to come home, hoping that she is in good condition.

"Anak, ikaw ay umuwi na. Kung nasaan ka man, sana ikaw ay maayos, sana'y ligtas ka, anak. Umuwi ka na at ikaw ay hinihintay na namin," she said.

"Birthday ng ina eh, 'yun na lang ang gawin mong pa-birthday sa akin. Anak, umuwi ka na, kami'y naiinip nang ikaw ay makita. Miss na miss ka na namin, anak," she added.

Tuy Police Station Chief Police Major Nepthali Solomon said that they had already conducted a "flash alarm" to search for Catherine.

"Nag-request na rin po tayo ng mga CCTV kung saan po siya huling na-update ng pamilya," he said.

However, the gas station Catherine referred to did not have CCTV.

The authorities said they would conduct backtracking to locate the places the beauty queen went.

Following this, Batangas Police Provincial Office Director Police Colonel Samson Belmonte  ordered the "intensified efforts in tracing and gathering information" on the whereabouts of Catherine.

The police added that "stations and units across Batangas Police Province are working together with the Tuy Municipal Police Station in searching for any trace or information."

"Anyone with reliable information may report to the Tuy Municipal Police Station via their Station Hotline 0998-598-5711."

Catherine represented Tuy, Batangas in the Miss Grand Philippines 2023 pageant.

Last week, her sister, Chin-chin Camilon, took to social media to ask for help from netizens to locate her sister's whereabouts.

—Carby Basina/MGP, GMA Integrated News