Rexon Romoc, 8, has finally been reunited with his family after being held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf group for almost 7 months.
They had to sell everything they owned
The 8-year-old was kidnapped around 7 months ago in Zamboanga Sibugay, and was held hostage in Sulu for the entire duration.
Secretary Jesus Dureza, who was a part of the recovery efforts shares, “Mother Nora was released on August 22 after paying some small amount to their captors. Upon being released, she then sold everything they owned including their “sari sari” store and borrowed money from friends and relatives to pay for the release of Elmer and Rexon. On November 15, the father was released but the captors did not release the boy and continued to keep him hostage. Until we recovered him yesterday.”
He adds, “It has been a long agonizing ordeal for him and the family. Their lives already in shambles due to what happened, the Romoc couple, with their elder 15-year-old son had since left Sibugay and temporarily relocated outside Metro Manila with relatives.”
He will have to undergo psychiatric therapy
Rexon will still need to undergo psychiatric therapy even if his health is in good condition. This is due to the fact that he might have underwent some traumatic experiences during his 7 months in capture as his captors were frequently on the move, trying to avoid the military.
This, coupled with the fact that he may have experienced several firefights while in captivity can cause psychiatric problems later on, so it’s important to address these issues early.
During his physical checkup, Rexon was given a toy car, however he told Secretary Dureza that he also wanted a military helicopter as a toy since he frequently saw the AFP’s helicopters hovering over him during his capture.
Source: manilatimes.net
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