MANILA, Philippines – Rowhanisa Abdul Jabbar, the grieving mother whose tale of her 7-year search for her missing son gripped social media, has a new story going viral again but this time it has a happy ending.
Jabbar's Facebook page has lit up with photos of her reunited and joyfully embracing her son, Ram-ram Abdul Jabbar Cabugatan.
Jabbar confirmed to Rappler through her Facebook account (Cassandra Evanez), that she was finally together with her son after the boy was taken from their home in Tondo, Manila, on July 4, 2010.
Ram-ram was only 3 years old when he went missing.
A viral video posted by Hajjah Sonayyah Bin't Muhammad on Facebook, captured the emotional first time mother and child saw each other in 7 years.
After being featured in the GMA 7 show Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, the family who found Ram-ram returned him to his mother.
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Before finding her son, Jabbar feared that her 10-year-old son had become a child soldier for the Islamic state-inspired Maute group fighting the government in Marawi City. In Jabbar's eyes, the child-soldier resembled her child. (READ: Mother of Maute child soldier urges him to return home)
She even recorded her voice and gave a copy to the military. In that audio recording, Jabbar pleaded for the boy to come home if ever he really was Ram-ram.
Fortunately, Ram-ram and the young Maute soldier are two different boys.
Netizens celebrated with Jabbar as she posted photos of herself and her son both all smiles while hugging. The post went viral on social media.
She also thanked the people who prayed for her son.
“Sa lahat ng nag pray kay Ram-ram, salamat nang marami,” she said in her Facebook post. (Thank you so much to everyone who prayed for Ram-ram.)
Jabbar never gave up in looking for her child and even offered reward money to anyone who could locate Ram-ram.
“Sa lahat ng nakasubaybay sa kwento ni Ram-ram, nagging parte na rin kayo ng buhay namin,” she added. (To everyone who saw the story of Ram-ram progress, you all became a part of our lives.)
Jabbar can’t thank God enough and according to her post, her happiness is finally full.– Rappler.com