’93 blast survivor missing in attacks

"There’s no way out. "

These were the grim words of Cynthia Micaller-Wilson, 53, in a brief telephone conversation with an uncle moments before the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York collapsed on Tuesday, burying tens of thousands of people in a mountain of rubble.

"Please pray for us. We need your prayers," Cynthia told her uncle Rex Betita whom she called on her cellular phone shortly after a hijacked commercial jetliner slammed into their building in a thunderous explosion, followed by a huge ball of fire.

Five minutes after that call, the building collapsed.

She did not call again.

Hours later, Cynthia’s son BJ went around the disaster site showing everybody a picture of his mother and asking them if by any chance they had seen her.

For her part, BJ’s elder sister Trixie did the rounds of the hospitals, also in search of their mother.

Cookie Micaller, a sub-editor of the Manila newspaper Today, said her sister worked as a supervisor in an office on the 79th floor of WTC’s North tower, the first to be attacked.

She said Cynthia, who had been working at the WTC for over 10 years now, survived the first terrorist attack on the building in February 1993.

Cookie said her sister was fortunately outside the building when it was bombed in 1993, killing at least six people.

The Wilsons migrated to the United States in 1986 while BJ was still in grade school and Trixie was in high school.

At present, both are gainfully employed in New York.

Cookie said her sister, whom she described as "very responsible," came home last year for the burial of their mother.

Micaller said their mother’s death made the two of them even closer to each other, regularly communicating by long distance telephone.

"The last time we talked, she was quite excited about their newly acquired condominium. She told me they would presently move out of their rented apartment in The Bronx," Cookie recalled.

The Micallers, however, have not given up hope that Cynthia survived the worst terrorist attack to ever take place in the US.

In another development, an Ilocano woman working as paralegal officer in a law firm in New York City near the WTC shared her vivid memories of Tuesday’s tragedy in a long distance telephone conversation with husband Chito of Vigan City in Ilocos Sur.

Tita Javier narrated that she was just about getting ready to buckle down for work when she heard a loud explosion, and saw that one of the WTC towers was in flames.

In an interview with The STAR, Javier said his wife told him she was stunned and immobilized by the horrific sight, and was brought back to her senses by an order from her boss, David Nourse, for everybody to vacate their building which was just a stone’s throw away from the tragedy-stricken WTC.

Nourse and Bowles, which operates worldwide, was based at the 37th floor of the One Exchange Plaza building in New York.

"He (Nourse) had presence of mind and guided us through the stairs until we were able to get out of the building. We met scores more from other offices as we went down scampering, running down the stairs," Javier quoted his wife as saying.

Mrs. Javier told him all hell broke loose after the WTC collapsed. There was pandemonium, with people scampering in every direction.

She said their boss led them to a barge that brought them to the safety of his home in Westchester in Upstate New York.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs released yesterday a list of "Filipino-sounding names" in the tally of those injured in the attack and were being treated in various hospitals in New York City.

"Due to the lack of information on their respective nationalities, some of the names maybe from the Hispanic or Asian communities," the DFA clarified.

Among those being treated at the Methodist Hospital were Jasan Abraham, Henry Bermudez, Judith Dominquez, Nelido Garcia, Casimiro Jimenez, Toni Matias, Ray Medina, Paul Protacio, Ruth Santiago and George Valencia.

At the Cabrini Hospital were Richard Casal, Victor Cortez, Roberto Cruz, Orlando Guzman, Hector Lopez, Gilbert Ortiz, Rafael Peña, Niobia Reyes, Flavio Rivera, Abdan Rodriguez and Joseph Rodriguez.

Confined at the Hospital of the Joint Diseases were Evita Arroyo, Juan Castelleas, Juan German and Kat Linanis. — With Teddy Molina, Delon Porcalla