Wife of UAE plane crash survivor seeks gov’t help

LABRADOR, Pangasinan — The wife of a Filipino overseas worker who survived in last Tuesday’s plane crash in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) appealed yesterday for help from the government so that she may be with her husband.

Maritess Cruz told The STAR in a phone interview that she has not received any government assistance in the processing of travel documents for her to attend to her husband, George, 32, who, according to reports, is being treated in a hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

"No one is assisting me. I’m working on my papers using my own personal funds," she said. The couple have a seven-month-old son who is scheduled to be baptized Monday.

She said her husband’s sponsor agreed to help her get a tourist visa and even promised to discuss it with Saudi Arabian authorities.

So far, only a representative of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has contacted her but only to tell her about the benefits her husband would get.

Cruz’s cousin, Roland Rosario, confirmed to her that George was among the migrant workers who boarded the ill-fated Kisha Airlines Fokker 50 plane.

Another Filipino was also on board the plane when it crashed in Sharjah, the foreign affairs department said.

The identity of the other Filipino passenger, whose fate remains unconfirmed, has not yet been released. — With Cesar Ramirez