Filipino seaman to reunite with family after 30 years

Out of touch for 30 years, a Filipino seaman in Brazil and his family in the Philippines will finally be reunited soon.

Danilo Magpantay, now a permanent resident in Brazil, will get to spend the holidays with his mother and siblings in the country with the embassy in the South American nation facilitating the reunion.

The search for Danilo began after Ambassador to Brazil Teresita Barsana received a request from Roberto Magpantay to locate his brother whom they have not heard from since he left the Philippines to work as a seaman in 1978. The family decided to look for Danilo following the recent death of his father.

It wasn’t easy finding Danilo, but last Wednesday, Barsana reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the embassy has successfully traced Danilo’s whereabouts in Brazil. The DFA report did not say why Danilo lost touch with his family.

"Brazil’s huge landmass, its vast network of ports and the limited information on Danilo’s exact whereabouts initially presented challenges for the embassy but our efforts eventually paid off after the Philippine Honorary Consul General in Sao Paolo was able to establish contact with Danilo’s Brazilian daughter who resides in the State of Sao Paolo," Barsana said.

She added that "the piece of vital information enabled the embassy to verify Danilo’s identity and communicate to him directly his family’s wish to see him again."

Danilo has since re-established contact with his mother and siblings in the Philippines after learning of his father’s death, and is due to visit them this Christmas.

"He is looking forward to meeting his family again and the embassy is pleased to have facilitated such a long overdue family reunion," Barsana said.

The seafarer visited the embassy on Tuesday to renew his Philippine passport for the first time since 1976. — Pia Lee-Brago