CEBU, Philippines - Families and friends of Cebuano victims in last week’s deadly earthquake in New Zealand are seeking heaven’s help for their safety.
Yesterday morning, they offered prayers during a Mass held for their loved ones in New Zealand’s quake-devastated area of Christchurch where several Cebuano nurses were reportedly trapped under the rubble.
Held at the Sacred Heart Church, the Mass was sponsored by the Golden Summit Immigration Consultancy, a group that handled the travel of the nurses to New Zealand.
“We pray from our hearts for the safety of our loved ones,” said Fr. Ernesto Javier in his homily.
Families and friends of the nurses said they are not losing hope that the victims are still alive despite reports that New Zealand authorities have ceased rescue operations.
Mayor Michael Rama, who attended the Mass, said the city government will coordinate with the Department of Foreign Affairs on the latest on the nurses trapped in the collapsed Canterbury Television Building.
Rama said the city government will extend assistance to the victims.
The nurses, who were preparing for their licensure exam, were attending review classes at a King’s Education Limited when the earthquake struck.
Letty Racal told The FREEMAN that although her daughter – a nurse in New Zealand for five years was safe – she attended the Mass in support for the grieving families.
“Miari mi agi og suportar,” Racal said, urging the public to pray for other victims.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) could not confirm reports yesterday that seven bodies of Filipinos were retrieved from the rubble of the Canterbury Televison CTV) building in Christchurch, New Zealand.
A relative of one of the Filipinos trapped in the collapsed building said she received information that bodies were retrieved from the building but these were not identified.
DFA spokesman Eduardo Malaya said on Friday that two Filipinos, identified as Rita Estrella and Hayley Concepcion, are safe. They were among the 14 Filipinos previously reported missing, the Philippine Embassy in Wellington said.
The DFA asked the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to check if any of the 12 Filipinos could immediately get assistance.
DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos said a search and rescue team deployed by New Zealand decided to end the operation.
Conejos said a Japanese search and rescue team arrived in Christchurch to try to extricate them from the rubble.
The embassy sent a two-man team to provide assistance to the Filipino community there and coordinate with authorities.
New Zealand authorities are cautious in releasing information about those who died in the quake, as they needed to verify the identities of the victims’ remains through DNA testing.
Authorities are now concentrating on the search for those who may still be alive and the remains of those who died. Their remains will be moved to a military camp in Christchurch where identification and processing will start about three weeks from now.
The team is assisting the Filipino community, distributing water purifying tablets and food. They have encouraged the Filipinos to avail themselves of counseling and support being offered by authorities.
The DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs is coordinating with the families of the remaining 12 missing Filipinos.
This DFA office also requested the Regional Consular Office in Cebu to coordinate with the families of those from there.
New Zealand authorities have shifted their focus from search and rescue to retrieval or recovery of the victims’ bodies.
However, the Philippine Embassy team requested that the search for the remaining survivors continue in light of text messages earlier sent by those trapped under the rubble to their relatives.
The DFA is now checking the department’s passport database for information and biometrics about the missing persons, and also appraising the families about the incident. —/LPM (FREEMAN)