Mass for limo fire victims held in US

MANILA, Philippines - A memorial mass has been held in the United States for a Filipina bride and her four friends who died in a limousine fire in San Francisco earlier this month.

The Philippine consulate office in San Francisco organized the mass on May 10, celebrated by Fr. Marvin Felipe at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption.

Filipina bride Neriza Fojas, 31, and four others were killed when the limousine they were riding burst into flames at the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge in Redwood City, California on May 4.

Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Marciano Paynor Jr. addressed those who attended the mass, and thanked them for the support they had shown to the families.

“There are some sentiments that only our language can express,” Paynor said. “We join you in grieving your untimely loss. We join you in praying for peace and comfort. We join you in keeping the memory of these precious lives, so that they will be remembered and kept in our hearts, as they are in yours.”

Paynor said condolence books will be opened to the public at their office on the 6th floor of the Philippine Center on 447 Sutter street to allow other Filipinos in San Francisco to offer their sympathies to the families of the victims.

The condolence books will remain open during office hours until May 24.

The Filipino Catholic League and the Philippine Nurses’ Association of Central California also held a memorial mass for the victims on May 13 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Clinton Avenue, in Fresno, California.