31 years after being found by a taxi driver on the crowded streets of Manila, Joel embarks on a journey to the Philippines to find his birth parents. The details are scarce and the only location Joel knows he was in for certain, is Muñoz Market, the place where he was picked up. Armed with little more than a photograph of himself, some flyers and his fierce determination, Joel sets out on the streets of the busy marketplace in the hope of finding someone who remembers a missing child from 1985. After days of returning from his search empty handed, Joel stumbles upon a family who confirm they too lost a child in 1985. Could this be the lead he has been hoping for?
Reporter: Jessica Soho
Producer: Tolits Tam
As Joel, Vicki and Danny wait anxiously for the results of the DNA test, Jessica’s production team make contact with a new lead in Japan – a viewer who claims to be the friend of Linda, a woman who lost a son in 1985. Upon discovering the disappointing results, Joel is shown a photograph of a young child believed to be him. There are uncanny details that match his story, including that the child’s name being Joel and that he was the son of a dressmaker and jeepney driver. Armed with a new photograph, Joel’s journey takes a completely new direction as searches for Linda on the streets of La Loma with just a photograph of the young woman and her son. Could this be the lead he has been waiting for? Is this the missing piece in his mysterious puzzle?
Reporter: Jessica Soho
Producer: Tolits Tam
Joel’s hope is reignited as he follows the complicated trail of possible leads, road blocks and dead ends that may lead him to his biological mother. Although this information appears to be leading him in the right direction, at times, the search uncovers more questions than answers. It’s now been over two months since Joel arrived in the Philippines and his time is running out. Who is Linda or Herminia and why is it that no one can locate her? If he manages to find her, does she hold the key to the answers Joel is looking for?
Reporter: Jessica Soho
Producer: Tolits Tam
Joel de Carteret’s remarkable journey proves the power of love can overcome truly impossible odds. There’s an extraordinary ending to this story, but it begins with heartbreak. As a five year old Joel got hopelessly lost from his mother when he wandered away from the family home and into a bustling city market in the Philippines. He searched and searched but couldn’t find her, and eventually was taken to an orphanage. Imagine his despair as for the next 18 months this little boy contemplated a future with little hope. But Joel is plucky and also lucky. He’s adopted by a caring and loving Australian family. He goes on to lead a happy and successful life here, except something is always missing. Six months ago, 30 years after getting lost, Joel De Carteret couldn’t ignore the pain any longer. He had to find his birth mother. But in a country of one hundred million, where would he even start to look?
Reporter: Liam Bartlett
Producer: Jo Townsend
We are not going to stop, we are going to our best to help this young man find his mother. It would have been a sin not to even try.
But in a country of 100 million people, and without so much as his mother’s first name or any indication of whether she was still alive, to his Aussie family the task seemed… utterly impossible… a road to heartbreak.
It’s a wonderful story to tell, the depth of a mother’s heart.
