FOR the Department of Tourism (DOT), the disappearance of lawyer Ryan Oliva doesn’t appear to be work-related.
DOT Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Edwin Enrile told the BusinessMirror, “Atty. Oliva is the head of our Legislative Liaison Office. He wasn’t handling anything sensitive, just pending bills [position papers and hearings], coordination with House and Senate, especially for [our] budget.”
Oliva, a law professor at the University of the Philippines, has been missing since Saturday, November 21. According to a DOT news statement, Oliva “was last contacted on November 22, Sunday,” although DOT officials now say this was a mistake, after basing it on an unconfirmed report that the lawyer had met the UP Chancellor on Sunday morning.
A separate news statement from the UP Law Department said Oliva has been “missing and unheard from since Saturday, November 21, 2020. He was last seen leaving his house in Commonwealth, Quezon City, on November 21.”
Asked about Oliva, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat responded via Viber, “Mabait ’yang batang ’yan [He’s a good kid].”
The DOT expressed its “deep concern” for the missing lawyer and said it has coordinated with the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), “and is in constant communication with Atty. Oliva’s family.”
The DOT urges everyone who may have any information on the whereabouts of Atty. Oliva, to coordinate with the PNP-CIDG through its hotline: 0998-967-4924.
The DOT also requests for prayers for successful search efforts and appeals for respect for the privacy of the Oliva family.
UP asks the public to text or call +63922-860-1900, +63906-300-1009 or email findingattyryan@gmail.com for any information on his whereabouts.