Missing beauty queen last spotted in mall; media company she was about to go to says last visit was December 2021
Miss Grand Philippines 2023 candidate Catherine Camilon was spotted at a shopping mall in Lemery in Batangas, hours before she was reported missing.
GMA Regional TV Balitang Southern Tagalog reported that Tuy Police Station got a copy of closed circuit television footage from the mall, where Camilon was seen walking alone on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m.
Police said the CCTV footage was recorded before Camilon last messaged her mother, saying she was at a gasoline station in Bauan.
"Negative tayo sa mga CCTVs doon (sa Bauan)," said Pauline Fernando, public information office chief of the Batangas Police Provincial Office.
The beauty queen's mother, Rosario, previously said her daughter was still in touch until around 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 13 before they completely lost contact.
Camilon told her mother she would go to Batangas City for a meeting with Balisong Channel, an online media company where she was a former talent.
But Balisong Channel, in a statement on Oct. 18, said Camilon didn't visit its office and was last there on Dec. 13, 2021.
Balisong Channel noted Camilon has had no contact or transaction with it "for an extended period of time."
"She concluded her professional relationship with our organization on amicable terms, and there have been no ongoing collaborations, communications, or contractual agreements between her and our company in recent memory," it said.
It urged the public to contact the appropriate authorities for Camilon's whereabouts.
"We extend our thoughts and prayers to her loved ones and remain hopeful for her safe return," Balisong Channel said.
In a Facebook post on Oct. 13, Catherine's sister Chin-Chin called on the beauty queen's colleague who was with her the night before she went missing. Chin-Chin said Catherine called at 8 p.m. on Oct. 12, but her phone went dead the next morning.
Chin-Chin wrote more posts about her sister, including her car's model and plate number.
She also shared a poster indicating Catherine's age (26), height (5'6"), and their mother's mobile number.
Catherine joined Miss Grand Philippines last July, during which Nikki De Moura of Cagayan de Oro won the crown.
Aside from being a beauty queen, Catherine is also a public school teacher in Tuy.