Church goers in Albay were left worried after a priest was reported missing for more than 24 hours after attending a mass in the Diocese of Legazpi.
A public service announcement by a local radio said that the parents of Rev. Fr. Noel Bobiel Bobiles were in distress as he did not leave any messages and he cannot be contacted.
The PSA stated that he was last seen leaving with his motorcycle and was on his way to St. James the Great Parish, Libon, Albay.
“He left at 7am of Thursday, January 19 to go home,” said the statement. Yet he was still unable to reach home the day after.
They say it only takes a few hours for him to reach their home and that he normally texts and informs them of his whereabouts which prompted his family to think that something may have happened to the priest.
The Parish Priest of the church where he is assigned then sought help from the media who shared photos of the priest online along with a handwritten note from his parents.
Several netizens shared the post and helped in the search but were surprised upon learning where he went. In fact, more than 7,000 people shared the online post.
The following day, a post by the church’s TV and radio station confirmed that the priest was safe and that they were informed that the missing priest texted the Head of the church that he only went on a birthday party.
He also said that there was no signal in the remote area where he went to celebrate with his friends.
The incident brought mix reaction to netizens who were bewildered with what to feel about the found priest.
“Yung feeling na naki-birthday ka lang, tapos pag online mo missing ka na,” commented one netizen.
“Mukhang may masesermonang pare,” joked one user.
Others commented that they are happy that the priest was safe and said shared their sentiments that their worry stems from the many cases of missing and then found dead nowadays.
