A 40-year-old Filipino domestic worker who died in the devastating Hong Kong fire was scheduled to fly home on December 16 to spend Christmas with her 10-year-old child in Rizal, according to a media report.
The family of the victim, identified as Esteban from Jones, Isabela, is hoping her remains can be brought home as soon as possible.
“Masaya sana ang Pasko namin kaso ganyan naman ang nangyari,” said her relative, Manayon Esteban Medina. The family had also planned to celebrate the birthday of Esteban’s father, Jaime, but the tragedy had left them in mourning.
“Sana mapabilis ang pag-uwi ng mga labi… mga three weeks sana,” Jaime said.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) assured full assistance to Esteban’s family, including arrangements for the immediate repatriation of her remains.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan also visited the victim’s relatives to personally extend condolences to her child in Cainta, Rizal.
The child will receive educational assistance to ensure she can finish college, a dream her mother held for her.
Esteban had worked in Hong Kong for four years and was among the 151 fatalities in the fire that tore through seven residential high-rise buildings last week.