No financial aid given to kin of Flight 447 Pinoy passenger

MALOLOS CITY, Philippines — No financial assistance has been given yet to the family of the lone Filipino passenger of the still missing Air France Flight 447. But news reports disclaiming that debris found on the Atlantic Ocean were that of the ill-fated plane gave them a glimmer of hope.

Miguela Jugueta, the wife of seaman Arden Jugueta who boarded the missing Flight 447 Sunday at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, told The STAR in a telephone interview that Air France nor the Department of Foreign Affairs have not given them financial assistance yet. However, she said that Air France have invited them to go to Paris.

“They told us to prepare our travel papers to go to Paris,” she said in the vernacular but noted that it wasn’t clear to her why they will be brought there. She will be accompanied by her children, Argel, 19; Aleli, 17; and Arden Jr., 15; and her sister-in-law Criselda Jugueta-Concepcion.

Miguela said she agreed to go to Paris and hope to see the crash site of Flight 447.

“Until now, hindi ko pa tanggap na patay na si Arden, kaya gusto kong makita ang crash site at malapit kay Arden,” she said and added that here is something she cannot connect with. She also admitted that news reports disclaiming that the debris found on the Atlantic Ocean were that of Flight 447 have given them hope. “Mas lumakas ang loob ko na buhay pa siya, pero magulo at lumalabo ang sitwasyon, ang daming anggulo. Nalilito ako,” Miguela said.

A seaman working abroad for the last 18 years, Arden boarded Flight 447 at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on May 31 on his way to Paris, then to Hong Kong and to Manila.

But 15 hours after he boarded Flight 447, Miguela received a call from her husband’s employer saying that Flight 447 went missing.

In an interview at their house at Barangay Buliran in San Miguel town, Miguela told The STAR that they were supposed to pick her husband at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Tuesday. She said that in their last conversation through internet phone, Arden expressed excitement to be home as he planned a family reunion. According to Miguela, Arden stayed in a hotel in Rio de Janeiro on May 28 in preparation for his flight on May 31.