Small child found at Munoz Market by Jose Manselo. Believed to be a taxi or jeepney driver, Jose looked after small boy the evening he was found and then turned over to Munoz Police Station. The police station was not fit for a child so he was then transferred to RAC, a detention centre for kids. As RAC was not the proper place for a child to stay, he was submitted to Reception Centre for Children (RSCC), an orphanage for kids. After numerous media attempts to trace his parents through radio.
Foundling was brought to RSCC, referred by Jocelyn Nagrampa (Social Worker). Resided at Cottage 5 in RSCC. After numerous media attempts to trace his parents through radio, he was classified as “abandoned” and eligible for adoption.
Foundling given the name “Joel Manselo” and given a date of birth August 4th 1985, birth place Quezon City.
After months of paperwork and letters, Julie & George were able to file for adoption. Working closely with ICAB Joel was matched and papers were processed for him to be adopted and brought to Australia.
Julie & George travel to Manila to visit & collect Joel at RSCC. They spend two weeks in the Philippines to bond with Joel and to process the necessary paper work in order to bring Joel back to Australia
With much excitement and anticipation, Julie & George travel back to Melbourne, Australia to introduce Joel to his new life. He sees his bedroom with his own toys for the first time. After a brief nap, he was playing with his neighbour David and they became best friends.
Joel, Julie and Australian sister Grace travel to back to the Philippines to re-visit his orphanage.
Joel was found by a passing stranger, thought to be taxi driver, lost on the bustling streets of Manila in July 25, 1985 and handed over to the police. After spending a week in a detention centre for children, Joel was sent to an orphanage where he was given the name of the man who found him and an estimated birth year. His birth date read August 4th, the day he was processed into the orphanage.
A year later, after failed attempts to locate his parents whose names he did not know, Joel was adopted by the de Carteret’s, an Australian couple, and flown to Melbourne, Australia, a place he would grow to call home.
For 31 years Joel believed that finding answers about his origins would be impossible given the limited information he had. His early memories were hazy, generating more questions than answers and had most likely been distorted by trauma and time.
His greatest fear was that if he did find answers, they might prove that he was abandoned or unloved, or even if he was genuinely lost by accident and he were to find information on his parents, that they may have already passed and it would be too late.
Despite this, the yearning to find the missing pieces of the puzzle of his identity was too strong to ignore. He was determined to unravel the mysteries of his own narrative, to search for the answers he had longed for and find home.
