2 Dutch tourists missing in Ifugao

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Two Dutch tourists have been reported missing in Ifugao, authorities confirmed yesterday, two days after alerts were raised on the foreigners’ disappearance.

The tourists were reportedly trekking in the mountains of Banaue town.

Citing reports from the Ifugao police, Cordillera police director Brig. Gen. David Peredo said a call from 911 was received at around 5:18 p.m. on Saturday through the hotline number of the Banaue police.

The caller reportedly introduced himself as Dutch national Roy Schouten and said he and his brother lost their way as they were heading to Barangay Pula from Barangay Cambulo in Banaue.

Peredo said the personnel of the 911 hotline tried to call back Schouten through a video-conference to determine the brothers’ exact location. But Schouten’s phone number was “out of the coverage area.”

The Banaue police coordinated with the municipal tourism office to confirm the disappearance of the Dutch tourists.

The tourism office said there was no record of the Dutchmen’s arrival in Banaue.

Personnel of the Banaue disaster office and the Bureau of Fire Protection verified the information in Barangay Cambulo.

Residents said the brothers stayed overnight in a lodge, but refused to register their names, although they indicated their nationalities.

Upon checkout on Saturday morning, the tourists said they were planning to go to Barangay Pula and exit in sitio Awan-igid in Barangay Viewpoint in Banaue.

Another resident told police that he offered to guide the foreigners to Barangay Pula, but they reportedly refused.