MikeLigalig.com

by Patrick Quintos, ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 07/08/2014 2:11 AM | Updated as of 07/08/2014 12:30 PM


MANILA (UPDATE) - It was 1985 and an expiring contract forced First Mate Alberto "Vito" Salazar, who was in Houston, Texas, to come back to the Philippines, leaving behind Italian-American Patricia DaRonco, their 5-month-old baby Christina and a promise.

The promise was that Vito would come back to Houston as soon as possible for them to be together. But things did not go his way and it took him a year to fulfill that promise.

"I met her mom in Houston, Texas. When Christina was 5 months old, I had to leave for the Philippines because my contract was expiring, promising her mom that I'm coming back," he said.

Patricia was only 21 when she met the Filipino seafarer who was around 15 years her senior.

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"From that day on until 2010, I still went back to Houston. I spent four days there, looking for her and her mom," he said.

It became a game of hits and misses.

Vito had lived in Miami, Florida since 1997 after he ended up marrying his live-in partner. But he was still looking for Christina and her mom.

Vito said his wife understood that he wanted to see his daughter.

"I was in Miami since 1997. Even my children were looking for her on Facebook. But the problem is we used different names that's the reason we cannot find each other," he said. "Ang nanay niya, ang ginamit na apelyido ay 'yung sa napangasawa na niya. Eh ang hinahanap ko 'yung Patricia DaRonco."

"There were seven Patricia DaRoncos. Every time I'm sending them a message, they were not [replying]," he added.

Vito once got information from Filipinos in Houston about the whereabouts of his daughter.

He learned that Patricia's former employers, a couple without a child, tried to take away a young Christina.

"Iyong pinagta-trabahuhan ni Patricia, kinidnap itong si Christina, kasi mag-asawa 'yun at walang anak. Nang itakas [si Christina], buti inabot ng nanay niya," he said, adding that he also got information that the two fled to New Orleans.

He almost lost hope, thinking Patricia and Christina were among the casualties when Hurricane Katrina hit the city in 2005.

Vito was not getting any younger, but somehow, after years of failed attempts, he found the will to continue his search.

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Her message to her dad was this: "I wanted to find you because I would like to meet you. I'd like to know my family, like where they come from... And, if you ever want to be a part of my life, I would welcome you to my life."

It must be the fruit of decades of hard work, prayer, hope and fate—ingredients of a miracle—that Christina's message reached her long-lost dad on the same month.

Vito said a former classmate, who was aware of his decades-long search, emailed him a link to an ABS-CBNNews.com article about Christina's Skype interview over dzMM.

He only kept a photo of a one-year-old Christina but he knew she was his daughter.

"'Yung classmate ko from Canada, he notified me on Facebook about your interview on Skype and the article. Right away, I go [sic] to the link and saw my daughter there. It was the first time I saw her on Skype and right away I knew he is my daughter," he said.

Just a few days after the DZMM interview, Christina got an email from Vito, who introduced himself as her father.

Christina had many questions to ask, especially after 29 years. She said Vito "was able to answer those questions and give information that only my real father would know."

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Vito wasn't able to meet Patricia who wasn't allowed by her husband to meet him.

"The husband — he don't want me to see Christina's mom, but her mom would want to see me. I said if there will be a problem with that, we’d rather not see her mom."

However, Christina said that her mom was just happy that she found her long-lost dad.

"My mom is really happy for me. She was surprised. She was doubtful that we would ever find him because we didn't really know any information," she said.

Vito is determined now to make up for the lost time with Christina, who is planning to visit her siblings in Florida.

"Magpapabalik-balik ako dito when my time permits. We'll always see each other. They plan to visit me in Florida with her whole family. So I have instant grandchildren from her," he said.—with reports from Aleta Nieva-Nishimori, ABS-CBNnews.com; DZMM's Aksyon Ngayon with Julius Babao and Kaye Dacer

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