One afternoon in early July, the beach of Urbiztondo – San Juan, La Union was packed with people. The laughter and voices of children calling to each other mixed with the sound of the waves. But for Aling Hilda, the memory of this place is a wound that will never heal. Eight years ago, also here, she lost her only daughter — little Tala, who had just turned 10 years old.

That day, the family’s tour group went swimming. Aling Hilda had just turned around to get a towel when she could no longer see her daughter. At first, she thought Tala had run off with her friends in the group, but she searched the entire beach and asked everyone, but no one had seen her. The beach management board and the San Juan rescue team were immediately notified, and the loudspeaker blared loudly to search for the girl in the blue floral dress and ponytail, but to no avail.

The Lifeguards dived to search, and the PNP San Juan (local police) also joined in, but no trace was found. Not a single sandal, not a single toy or small bag of Tala. Everything seemed to evaporate.

The news spread: “10-year-old girl mysteriously missing in La Union beach.” Some thought she was swept away by the waves, but the sea was calm that day. Some suspected she was kidnapped, but the area’s cameras did not record clearly.

Weeks later, the family had to sadly return to Tarlac City, carrying with them the bleeding pain. From then on, Aling Hilda began her endless days of searching for her child: printing flyers, asking volunteer groups, driving around neighboring provinces to follow every rumor that “a girl who looked like Tala” had been seen. But it was all just an illusion.

Mang Nardo — her husband — fell ill from the shock and died three years later. The villagers said Aling Hilda was very resilient to still carry on the small sari-sari shop alone, living while holding on to the hope of finding her child. For her, Tala had never died. She always believed that her child was still somewhere, as long as she did not give up, she would meet him again one day.

Eight years later, on a hot April morning, Aling Hilda was sitting in front of her door selling goods when she heard the sound of an engine stopping. A group of young men on AH26 (Pan-Philippine Highway) stopped to buy water. She did not pay attention for a moment, until her eyes stopped: on the right arm of a man was a tattoo of a little girl.

The drawing was not elaborate: a round face, bright eyes, hair tied in a ponytail. But to her, it was so familiar. Her heart ached, her hands trembled, her glass of water almost fell. That was Tala’s face.

Unable to hold back, she boldly asked:
— Sir, who is this tattooed on?

The man paused for a moment, then smiled awkwardly:
— Ah… just an acquaintance, ‘Nay.

The answer made Aling Hilda’s heart flutter. She tried to calmly ask more, but the group of young men quickly paid and started the engine and drove away. She ran after them, only just in time to see the license plate blurred into the bustling crowd.

That night, she tossed and turned. The image of her child’s arm and face haunted her. Why did the stranger have a tattoo of Tala? What was their connection? Was her child still alive and this person a clue?

The next morning, she went to the barangay hall to explain the incident. At first, everyone thought it was just a coincidence — maybe a random tattoo similar to Tala’s. But Aling Hilda insisted:

— I am the mother, there’s no mistake. That’s my child.

The commune police took note and agreed to help verify. She also proactively asked around, asking the motorbike taxi/tri-cycle drivers to keep an eye out. Every time she saw a young man riding a strange motorbike, she nervously looked after him.

A week passed, and she suddenly received a message from a moto-taxi: the group of young men had been seen gathering at a carinderia near Dau Bus Terminal (Mabalacat, Pampanga). Aling Hilda immediately went to find them, but they had just left. The owner said that they often came, and that the tattooed man named Carlo, in his 30s, worked as a long-distance truck driver.

Hearing this, Aling Hilda became even more determined. For the first time in 8 years, a real light had flashed. But she did not expect that this journey would be even more thorny and uncertain than before.

She persisted in following. After many days of waiting at the carinderia, she finally met Carlo again. The same old motorbike, the same arm with the tattoo of the little girl. She took a risk and stepped forward, blocking the door, her eyes both trembling and determined:
— Sir, let me ask you honestly… who is the tattoo on your arm?

Carlo was startled for a moment and then sighed. He hesitated, then said softly:
— ‘Now, don’t ask too much. I just want to remember someone I met.

The answer made her even more suspicious. Aling Hilda pleaded:
— I lost my child in San Juan, La Union eight years ago. I looked at that picture… it looked exactly like my child. If you know anything, please tell me.

Carlo avoided her for a moment. But when he saw the mother’s tears, his face became heavy. He was silent for a long time and then whispered:
— That year, I followed a group of hired men for a strange man. By chance, I saw them carrying a crying little girl near the beach. I was just a kid at the time, I didn’t dare to intervene. But the girl’s face haunted me forever, so I got a tattoo so I wouldn’t forget.

Hearing this, Aling Hilda was stunned. Her heart was both aching and hopeful. If Carlo’s words were true, it meant Tala didn’t drown, but was taken away. But who was that man? Where is she now?

The PNP then invited Carlo back to give a statement. The old missing person records were reviewed, the timelines were compared, and witnesses were found. Some pieces of the puzzle gradually fit together: at that time, there were strangers around the beach, suspected of human trafficking. The NBI Anti-Human Trafficking Division was also consulted.

Aling Hilda was both scared and hopeful. Over the past eight years, she had learned to live with the loss, but now the fire to find her child was burning again. Every night, she prayed: just one more time to see her child, even if only to know that she was alive.

The story remained unfinished. But for Aling Hilda, seeing that tattoo was proof: Tala had existed in the memory of an outsider. And that was enough to make her believe — her child was still out there, waiting to return.