BAGUIO CITY– The Frenchman tourist who had gone missing for eight days after hiking in a forest in a Mountain Province town was found by a team of rescuers Wednesday late afternoon in a ravine.
Lt. Morris Pangket Nay-osan of the Barlig police said members of the search and rescue team, composed of tour guides and local disaster risk reduction management and tourism officers and police officers, scoured the area until they located Jacques Francioly, 70, in a ravine at Sitio Sikling, Barangay Latang around 3 p.m.
“He was very weak and in need of special attention when he was found,” Nay-osan said.
One of the tour guides, Shadrack Cablog, said the rescuers brought Francioly to a local hospital around 8 p.m.
The Frenchman will be transferred to the Luis Hora Memorial Regional Hospital in Abatan, Bauko, Mountain Province, about two hours away from Barlig, for further medical treatment when his condition normalizes.
Nay-osan said Francioly, who checked in at Halfway Inn and Restaurant at Barangay Gawana on January 13, was reported missing on January 21.
Mayor Clark Ngaya ordered and organized a search and rescue operation to find Francioly, combing the areas of Pula, Banaue, Ifugao; Sitio Ammiw and Sitio Sicling in Barangay Latang.
Edelwina Pakurao Manonggit, manager of the inn where Francioly was booked, told authorities the Frenchman left the establishment on January 14 to go site-seeing and would settle his bills upon returning..
After several days, the inn’s personnel later told the police that when Francioly did not return to his room where they found his personal belongings still inside, they readily reported the incident to authorities.
In June 2017, Choi Sungkyu, 57, a Korean national, was also reported missing. He was found by a search party after 11 days.
Nay-osan reminded all tourists to follow the rules and regulations for their safety. **By Liza Agoot
