Filipina among those killed in Israel blast

An overseas Filipina worker was killed and four other OFWs were wounded in a suicide bomb attack on a bus in Israel over the weekend, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas identified the fatality as Rosalia Reyes, a 40-year-old caregiver from San Juan, Batangas. Her body will be repatriated to the country soon.

Reyes was deployed to Israel seven months ago. Her grieving relatives said they had hoped her work in Israel would deliver them from poverty.

She was among 16 people killed in the attack Sunday believed carried out by Palestinian extremists, the DFA said.

The bus attack in the Arab neighborhood of Haliza in Haifa, about 10 kilometers from the capital Tel Aviv, is believed part of the Palestinian terror campaign as two other suicide bombers detonated nail-studded explosives 12 hours earlier in a mall in downtown Jerusalem where 10 died and more than 170 were injured.

In the bus attack, the wounded Filipinos were identified as Lily Basi, Mario Libao, Raul Divas and his sister, Maricar. Except for Raul, the three are said to be in critical condition after being hit by shrapnel in different parts of the body.

According to Sto. Tomas, the other three victims underwent surgery to remove the shrapnel from their bodies, with Libao now in the intensive care unit (ICU).

"The victims were on board the bus when the suicide bomber detonated the explosives. In fact, the suspect even smiled at one of the Filipino victims before he (detonated) the bomb," Sto. Tomas said.

The labor chief said that the Israel government is shouldering the cost of medical treatment of all victims of the bombing, who are confined at the Ramban Hospital in Haifa.

Philippine Ambassador-designate to Israel Marciano Paynor Jr., who was in the country at the time of the bombings, has sent a team to Haifa to check on the wounded Filipinos.

Paynor had informed Reyes’ relatives in Batangas of her death. Embassy officials and relatives of the Filipino fatality are now at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute to identify her body which was reportedly mutilated by the impact of explosion.

Vice President and concurrent Foreign Secretary Teofisto Guingona Jr.said he has ordered Philippine embassy officials to extend whatever necessary assistance to the Filipino victims.

There were no reports of OFWs being wounded in the two other suicide bombings in the Jerusalem mall along Ben Yehuda street on midnight Saturday.

Despite the bombings, Sto. Tomas said there are no plans to repatriate the OFWs in Israel, which the DFA estimated to number about 25,000. But DOLE placed the figure at 30,000.

Sto. Tomas said the OFWs were already advised to take the necessary precautions.

At Malacañang, President Arroyo was saddened about the latest terrorist attacks that took place in Israel that had five Filipino casualties.

"The President is saddened about such atrocity. And we have been asking the DFA for more details on the Filipino killed," Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said yesterday.

He added the DFA and DOLE were evaluating the situation in Israel to determine if there is a need to evacuate the OFWs there.

In a statement posted at its website, the hardline Islamic group Hamas claimed responsibility for the bus attack Sunday, saying its armed wing carried out the triple bombings.

The Palestinian Authority strongly condemned the attacks as Palestinian President Yasser Arafat called an emergency meeting to take "very important and forceful decisions."

Meanwhile, the DOLE confirmed yesterday reports that hundreds of OFWs may be displaced with the implementation of a law banning the hiring of non-Americans in United States airport terminals.

But Sto. Tomas expressed confidence that enforcement of the Aviation Security Act will have "minimal effect" on OFWs and that those who may be displaced can easily find new employment.

Sto. Tomas admitted that a number of Filipino migrant workers may be rendered jobless once the new law signed by President George W. Bush takes effect sometime next year.

"A number of OFWs may likely lose jobs as a result of the new law but I believe they can easily shift to other sectors that are not banning the hiring of non-nationals," the labor chief disclosed.

An international group of migrant workers warned earlier of the possible displacement of about 1,000 airport screeners with the enforcement of the new law giving preference to local workers in terminals.

Sto. Tomas noted, however, that most OFWs in the US are already naturalized American citizens and are therefore qualified to work in various airports in their adopted country.

She added that those few workers who are non-citizens are highly skilled and can apply for other jobs.

"Filipinos in the States are not known to be without jobs for long. Since most OFWs there are multi-skilled they can easily find employment," Sto. Tomas said.

She also denied reports that the new law would result in "ethnic and racial cleansing" since it will affect not only OFWs but other foreign workers as well. — With Marichu Villanueva