A Filipina living and working in Trinidad and Tobago has been missing since December 12 last year.

Lyka Bernas' housemate and friend Kevyn Barcelon initially thought she was just out with friends. The 29-year-old from Cavite, who works as a nanny, was last seen leaving their apartment that afternoon.

"Monday came. Her employer called me and said that Lyka never reached work. It’s not likely of Lyla to miss work. She would normally call if she’s sick or if anything is to happen. But nobody heard from Lyka. And that’s when I made the police report," Barcelon noted.

Barcelon said she grew more worried after she searched Bernas' room. "Everything is here, her documents, her passport, her vaccination card. That’s why I really truly think she didn’t intend to stay for long. She willingly went out, yes, but I know she didn’t intend to stay out for long because she would have brought her bag, her things, but all of her things are here."

Philippine officials in Washington, D.C. have been coordinating with local police to find Bernas.

"They have interviewed their contacts, their friends. In fact, a taxi driver, a Filipino also, she always calls to bring her to work, or wherever she wants to go. The police had interviewed that driver, and interviewed also several of her friends but no leads at all," PH Honorary Consul to Trinidad and Tobago Dr. Noe Jaen said.

Jaen told ABS-CBN News finding Bernas has been his top priority. "I understand the feelings of her family in the Philippines, her family here and her friends and I sympathize with them. I can tell them that rest assured that I, as Consul General of the Philippines in Trinidad, is in contact with relevant authorities to push them to make them try their best to see what they can do to find out the whereabouts of Lyka."

Meanwhile, local reporter Anselm Gibbs, who has been following the story, recently spoke to the top police official. "I have spoken with Acting Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob, and he says right now, investigators are focused on the various exits and entry points, the ports here in Trinidad and Tobago. He said intelligence gathered has led officers in Trinidad into looking at the ports to see whether Lyka somehow, whether by force or not, was able to leave the country," Gibbs shared.

Barcelon suspects "it's someone she knows. I don’t want to believe it’s random and she just got kidnapped and picked up and she just disappeared into thin air. I really don’t want to believe that because, but, I don’t know." Barcelon added that as each day passes, she and Bernas' family grow more helpless.