When it comes to reuniting families, social media has done it again.
Noemi Lagman, 21, was first reported missing by her cousin Allan Capulong and father Noel Lagman on Capulong’s Facebook page.
The plea was posted on Jan. 7, saying that Noemi failed to come home after she left her family’s Parañaque home with P33,000 in cash so she could enroll at Asia Pacific College in Makati.
Noemi was last seen at the entrance of their village and was reported to have never reached school. Relatives were also unable to reach her through her mobile phone.
Her Missing Person poster on Facebook spread like wildfire, with Noemi's photo and description topping newsfeeds and users heeding the family's appeal to “please pass, please help.”
On Wednesday, Noemi’s family posted an update.
Facebook provided the ‘first lead’
“Noemi Lagman has been found and she is now safe. Our deepest gratitude to all of you who helped us,” Capulong shared on Facebook.
“Everyone deserves to know. It was through social media where we got the first lead and it has played a vital role in connecting all of us,” he added.
However, the family refused to disclose how they were able to reach Noemi.
"We were advised by the authorities that information on how and where she was found be kept confidential for her and her family's security and privacy. We ask for your understanding on this matter," he said.
Shared more than 8,000 times
As of this writing, Capulong said his post on Noemi generated 213 likes, 111 comments, 96 tags and 8,114 shares or a total of 8,534 online activity.
“We ask the Lord to bless 8,534 times all of you who helped us during this time. This does not include online and offline activities that I could not quantify anymore,” he said.
“Finally I want to share with all of you the lesson we learned from this experience: love your family, love them tirelessly, love them unconditionally, because at the end of the day, it's what matters.”
In November last year, social media was also instrumental in reuniting Lola Aurelia with her husband Lolo Luis. A black-and-white photo of Lola Aurelia with a flyer on her missing husband pinned to her shirt went viral on the web. The photo was reportedly shared more than 50,000 times.
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