“If you have any information that can lead us to the safe recovery of my girls, please help us,” Elbert Quitugua said.
He reiterated that a “tremendous amount” is being prepared for anyone who can provide information leading to the safe recovery of Faloma Luhk, 10, and her sister Maleina Luhk, 9.
“We are hoping that they come home safe,” he added.
Department of Public Safety Commissioner Ramon C. Mafnas, in a media conference at the Kagman Community Center yesterday, said although authorities were “baffled” by the case, they were “not confused.”
The girls have been missing since Wednesday last week.
“We are in control of the situation,” Mafnas said. “We would like to assure the community that we are well-organized.”
He announced the opening of a local expense account, called “Operation Hope,” dedicated for the “logistics, administration, planning, and organization” of the search and investigation into the circumstances behind the disappearance of the Luhk sisters.
Mafnas noted that “thousands of hours” for personnel, excluding logistics, have been involved since the first day of the search and investigation.
“We have to man our books,” Mafnas said.
“Our expenses must also be accounted for,” he added.
Criminal Justice Planning Agency Executive Director Jerome Ierome said they opened the expense account through the efforts of the governor’s office, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Finance, the local Homeland Security Office and the Department of Corrections.
Ierome said the expense account is a local account, separated from donations coming in for the missing Kagman Elementary School students.
This expense account, which is similar to those opened during emergencies or natural disasters, covers expenses such as gear and other resources needed for the investigation and search operations, Ierome said.
Mafnas thanked the “tremendous support” of local and federal authorities, as well as the volunteers and other members of the community who have joined the search for the missing girls.
Mafnas said “specialized teams were deployed to conduct high-level searches” yesterday, in addition to the ongoing initiatives of local and federal law enforcement agencies.
“We are hoping to come out with something significant,” he added.
He noted that some of his men were already “getting sick” as a result of the 24-hour operations.
Mafnas said they have recovered a backpack and a journal in the children’s room at their residence and these have already been turned over to the FBI. He declined to elaborate further.
Authorities are expecting more volunteers to join the search today, an austerity Friday.
