Search intensified for missing Leyte parish priest
TACLOBAN CITY—Policemen in Eastern Visayas are intensifying efforts to locate a parish priest from Babatngon town in Leyte who has been missing since Tuesday.
Police Capt. Junriel Rosario, chief of the Babatngon Municipal Police Station (MPS), said authorities have yet to establish any concrete lead on the whereabouts of Fr. Edwin “Kutz” Caintoy, parish priest of San Jose de Malibago Parish, prompting investigators to retrace his last known movements.
“He was reported missing only recently. What we are doing now is backtracking his activities and the places where he was last seen,” Rosario said.
Initial police inquiries showed that Caintoy left Babatngon on Tuesday morning to travel to Tacloban City, where he was reportedly planning to attend confession at a church.
Police have interviewed individuals close to the priest to help reconstruct his final movements.
Based on information from the Babatngon MPS, Caintoy was last seen at 9:08 a.m. on Tuesday after traveling to Barangay 108, Tagpuro, Tacloban City aboard a motorcycle driven by his sacristan, identified as Janriel Pelapel.
From Tagpuro, Caintoy allegedly boarded a Norbatco passenger bus (Bus No. 0085, Plate No. GAW 7651) bound for Tacloban City.
Last sighting
The priest reportedly disembarked near the corner of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church along Quezon Boulevard.
By 9:52 a.m., Caintoy was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from VSYS Department Store walking toward Robinsons North Tacloban.
Authorities said this was the last confirmed sighting of the priest. He has not returned to his parish since, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
Caintoy, a native of Abuyog, Leyte, is about 5 feet 6 inches tall with a large build. He has served as parish priest of San Jose de Malibago Parish in Babatngon for about five years.
The parish oversees several island barangays, making him a familiar figure among local communities.
In light of Caintoy’s disappearance, the Archdiocese of Palo has taken steps to ensure the uninterrupted pastoral care of the parish.
On Friday, Archbishop John Du appointed Fr. Arnold Aurelio as interim parish administrator of San Jose de Malibago Parish in Malibago, Babatngon.
‘Concerning’
The appointment, issued by virtue of Canon 523 of the Code of Canon Law, entrusts Aurelio with the full care of the parish, including all duties, rights and privileges accorded to a parish administrator under Church law and Archdiocesan statutes.
Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office 8 (PRO-8) described the incident as “concerning” and assured the public that a thorough investigation is ongoing.
“In coordination with concerned units, PRO-8 has immediately initiated an investigation to verify the circumstances surrounding the incident and is actively pursuing all available leads to locate Fr. Caintoy at the earliest possible time,” the regional police said in a statement.
Authorities have appealed to the public to assist in the search and urged anyone with information that may help locate Caintoy to immediately coordinate with the Babatngon Municipal Police Station or the nearest police unit.
