Cebuano among OFWs dead in Saudi accident

CEBU, Philippines – A Cebuano electronic communications engineer who was due to return home in less than three months was among the 13 Filipinos confirmed killed in a road accident in Saudi Arabia last Tuesday.

Lope Jonathan Nicart was the son of a soldier and the brother of Bright Academy football coach Robert “Kidd” Nicart and football referee-turned-runner Anthony Nicart.

Robert said they were first informed of his brother’s death last Wednesday night by the Human Resources manager of Kentz Company Ltd., his brother’s company. This was later confirmed by their sister after she communicated with the company in Saudi the other day.

Jonathan was the eldest of seven siblings and one of two OFWs in the family, the other is a nurse in England.

Anthony told The FREEMAN that Jonathan, who just turned 49 last month, first worked in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2009. After several years of working abroad, Jonathan returned to Cebu before deciding to go back to Saudi Arabia to work as an instrument technician to support his eldest son who is already attending college at the University of San Carlos and his daughter who is Grade 10 in a school in Mandaue City.

Around 30 Filipinos were on board the company coaster on their way back to their quarters after a day at the worksite in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia when the accident happened.

A trailer truck rammed the coaster, causing the death of 13 people, including Nicart. Thirteen others are still recuperating in a hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Earlier reports said there were 14 dead, but the figure was later corrected by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Balitang OFW Facebook account posted the names of the 13 dead Filipinos but there was no confirmation as to where they got the names.

The FREEMAN tried to reach the company’s contact person but there was no response as of presstime. 

The DFA has already coordinated with Kentz Company Ltd. for the speedy repatriation of the bodies to the Philippines as well as with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration for financial assistance to the affected families.

As for the Nicarts, they have already visited Jonathan’s agency here in Cebu, the Omanfil International Manpower Development Corp., OWWA and the DFA.

“Ang gusto lang namin, mapadali ang pag-uwi… Hindi ko pa masagot ang iba pang mga tanong,” said Jonathan’s mother, Rufina.

Jonathan was described by his two brothers as humble and down-to-earth. He had no plans to go home this Christmas as he wanted to finish his two-year contract with the company, but said he wanted to go mountain climbing with his kids when he gets back home.   

It was also learned that the Nicarts had no plans to spend Christmas together because most of them have their own families now, but this untoward incident in Saudi Arabia might just bring the family together again. — /BRP (FREEMAN)