Ashes of Pinay SARS victim brought home

The ashes of Adela Dalingay, the first Filipino to die of complications from the deadly pneumonia-like illness Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), were brought home to the country yesterday by her parents on board a commercial flight from Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Edgardo Manda said Filipinos should refrain from staying at the terminal of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) unless necessary, to avoid close contact with suspected SARS victims.

The cremated remains of Adela, 39, a native of Luba, Abra, were placed in a jar secured inside a gift-wrapped box. Gregorio Dalingay, Adela’s father, brought the box with him in a traveling bag. His wife Lolita accompanied him.

The Dalingay couple wore surgical masks over their faces and were clad in black shirts and pants.

Adela’s parents left for Hong Kong last Thursday. Upon their arrival in the former Crown colony, Gregorio said they went straight to Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

"We saw her in the morgue. She was wrapped in a bandage or white blanket, placed in a coffin with a glass top," he told reporters.

Gregorio added that his daughter "was cremated (last Sunday) and we got the ashes only (on Monday)."

The Dalingays plan to have a traditional wake and burial for their deceased daughter, whom Gregorio said had worked as a domestic helper in Hong Kong and had looked forward to marrying her boyfriend in September.

"We are glad that we were able to finally bring home our daughter’s remains," Gregorio said, adding that during their visit to the hospital to claim their daughter’s remains, they had worn surgical masks.

He said they are not afraid of contracting SARS, the disease that killed their daughter, because they wore their masks at all times while in Hong Kong.

Gregorio said they plan to keep the jar in a safe place in their home in Abra, and offer prayers for their daughter’s soul. He did not say if they would bury Adela’s ashes.

Representatives from the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Quarantine and airport security personnel met the couple at the airport. No relatives of the Dalingays were present when they arrived.

The couple went straight to their hometown of Abra by land, accompanied by representatives from OWWA.

Manda, on the other hand, advised parents not to take their children with them to the airport to meet relatives arriving from SARS-affected countries.

He also requested that those aged 60 and above avoid going to the airport.

"Please, don’t go to (NAIA). I appeal to the public, especially the kids and (the elderly)," he said.

Manda urged the public to limit trips to the airport to send off or meet relatives to prevent the spread of SARS, following reports that 53 of 1,500 people who fell ill with SARS have already died.

Surgical masks have been distributed to airport terminal employees, Manda said, adding that doctors and nurses, as well as four ambulances, stand ready to rush suspected victims to the nearest hospital.

He also said that he is recruiting 50 nurses to help quarantine officials identify SARS victims.

Returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) afflicted with cough and colds will be isolated and placed in the custody of MIAA’s quarantine division, headed by Dr. Clodualdo Mortel, for a week.

Manda issued a directive for passengers and airport personnel to be provided with airtight masks and other protective gear, to protect them from SARS and possible terrorist attacks.

"As we implement stricter security measures at the airport complex for our passengers’ safety and security, we are also appealing for support and cooperation from the public by heeding our advice," he said.

At the airport, Sen. Juan Flavier said the Philippines is "lucky the situation is under control."

He had arrived from Taiwan together with former health secretary Alberto Romualdez. They spent five days in Taiwan studying acupuncture and herbal medicine that could be adopted and developed locally.

Flavier, who was also a former health secretary, noted current Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit’s efforts to screen all passengers flying in from SARS-affected countries.

Dayrit met Flavier and Romualdez at the NAIA.

Romualdez, on the other hand, said Taiwan may have 12 SARS cases out of 13 who displayed pneumonia-like symptoms.

The spread of SARS in Hong Kong, meanwhile, has prompted many OFWS to flee to Manila for fear of contracting the disease.

Flights arriving at NAIA Terminals 1 and 2 from Hong Kong have been fully booked with Filipinos seeking sanctuary in the Philippines.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) has four daily flight from the former Crown colony, while Cathay Pacific has five and Cebu Pacific two.

This does not include Middle Eastern and European airlines that travel to Manila via Hong Kong, fully booked with Filipinos determined to avoid contracting SARS.

Many OFWs who arrived at NAIA said they are more scared of SARS than of the war in Iraq.

Mylene Batanga, 36, a mother of four who has been working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong for the past 10 years, said that her employer allowed her to leave for Manila temporarily to avoid being infected by SARS.

"Even if my employer did not allow me to leave, I am determined to come home. I have four children. If I am infected by the disease, what will happen to my family?" she said. – With Bong Fabe