Last Seen:

February 7, 2018

Manila
According to Valera's wife, Kathryn Correa Valera, her husband went home at 11:00 p.m. on February 6, 2018, to have dinner. After which, he left again to work as a tricycle driver. He has not returned home since.

 

The following day, February 7, 8:00 a.m., Kathryn went to Puregold Pritil tricycle terminal to look for her husband. There, she saw his tricycle. As she was looking at her husband's tricycle, an elderly man approached her and asked if she was Valera's wife. When she said yes, the elderly man informed her that he saw Valera ride another tricycle with a man who had many tattoos. After five minutes, the man returned, but Valera was no longer with him.

 

After talking with the elderly man, Kathryn then went to Police Station 1 at Hermosa but did not find Valera there.

 

In the afternoon of February 7, Kathryn asked around about the identity of the man with many tattoos who was with her husband the night before he disappeared. Kathryn learned that he was a "Rolly" Rivera. She went to his house at around 4:00 p.m. He was sleeping, but Kathryn asked that he be woken up. He told her that two policemen arrested Valera in Lawton, Manila, because he was involved in a holdup incident. Rivera added that after the arrest, Valera would be brought to Police Station 5 or at the police station at UN Avenue, Manila.

Kathryn went to Police Station 5 but did not find Valera there. She left a picture of her husband. She then went to the police station at UN Avenue, but Valera was not there as well.  At 9:00 p.m. On the same day, Kathryn returned to Rivera's house. She pleaded with him to tell her the truth about what happened to her husband. Rivera said that it was not the police who took her husband. He said that the people in the area beat him up and said that they would turn over Valera to the police.    Since Rivera seemed to be lying and giving Kathryn the runaround, Kathryn went to Police Station 7 at dawn on February 8 to report Rivera as a wanted person. When they looked for Rivera, he was no longer at home. Kathryn received information that Rivera was seen around the area, but he always moved too fast. On the third day after Kathryn filed a complaint against Rivera, he was finally accosted and brought to the barangay.

 

Kathryn said that Rivera finally told her what happened to Valera. Rivera narrated that he and Valera were actually involved in a holdup. The people in the area beat Valera up, then two policemen in uniform arrived on a motorcycle and picked up Valera. They said that he will be brought to Police Station 5.

 

Kathryn went again to Police Station 5 to look for her husband, but the police said that he was not in their custody. Kathryn then went to the City Hall Detachment near Intramuros but failed to find Valera there. She said that she looked for him from police stations 1 to 11 but did not find him. She also went to different detention facilities, hospitals, and even morgues and funeral houses, but her husband was nowhere to be found.

 

When Kathryn returned to the area where her husband was allegedly taken, she was able to talk to a different group of people who confirmed that there was indeed such an incident that took place. Valera was last seen wearing a red shirt with an angel design in front and "Milan" printed on the back, camouflage shorts, and slippers. According to the bystanders and vendors in Lawton, his shirt was already torn because of the beatings he received from the people.

Kathryn admitted that her husband used to be a drug dependent, but he was no longer into drugs when he went missing. He also had no criminal record.

Kathryn suspects that Rivera had something to do with her husband's disappearance. She said that Rivera may be a police asset.

details about their circumstances.