By The Star Staff
The Bureau of Emergency Management and Disaster Administration Commissioner Nino Correa Filomeno announced on Saturday that the search for the hunter who disappeared Feb. 21 on Mona Island would be suspended.
“The disappearance of the hunter will continue to be under investigation by the Criminal Investigations Corps (CIC) of the Police Bureau, who have been working on this case from the beginning in conjunction with the different municipal, state and federal agencies,” Correa Filomeno said. “Four rescuers and six cave experts returned today, joining the more than 100 rescuers, cave experts and hunters who went to carry out active search work in that place in the past 18 days.”
“At the moment, no clues have been found that would help us find his whereabouts. It is appropriate to review the maps with the police and, if we find any evidence for which we must return, we would send rescuers and personnel back to Mona Island to continue the active search,” he added. “In the meantime, we continue to establish work plans according to the search patterns already made. “At NMEAD, we never close searches until we find the whereabouts of the person we are looking for. In this and other cases, the police investigative work continues, in conjunction with the information gathered by NMEAD and the other agencies.”
Correa Filomena said that any hunter or cave expert who has participated in the search should report the information they have been able to collect to NMEAD and/or the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources so that they can record it on the maps and continue identifying points of interest.