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DFA misinformed, second Filipina in Haiti still missing


Just the night before, the Fabian household had broken into tears of joy after learning that a family member trapped in a supermarket in quake-hit Haiti had been rescued. But their jubilation was shattered the next day, Saturday morning, when they learned that Grace Fabian's supposed rescue had been misreported. In an interview with GMA News, military spokesman Romeo Brawner Jr. said they received new information from Lt. Col. Lope Dagoy, commander of the 10th Philippine Contingent in Haiti, belying earlier reports that Fabian had been pulled out of the rubble. 'Some confusion' -AFP "Hindi pa na-rescue si Ms. Fabian... Nagkaroon ng kaunting kalituhan (Ms. Fabian has not yet been rescued. There had been some confusion)," apologized Brawner in a Balitanghali interview. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had announced to media on Friday night that Fabian was the second Filipino to be rescued from the Caribbean Supermarket, which collapsed due to the 7.0 magnitude quake that hit Haiti Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).

That was just hours before the same agency reported the rescue of Aurora Aguinaldo, another Filipina inside the supermarket when it gave way. GMANews.TV tried but failed to reach DFA spokesperson Ed Malaya for comment. Pointing fingers? A radio dzBB report had earlier quoted the DFA as saying they got the news of Fabian's rescue from Grace's father, Arturo, himself. Asked by GMA News to react on the DFA's claim, Arturo said he had learned about the supposed rescue from the news, prompting him to call up a certain "Judy Razon" from the DFA to confirm if the reports were correct. "Ang sagot nya sa akin, 'Wala pa kaming report na dumating dito, ang meron dito si Aurora Aguinaldo' (She told me, 'We haven't received any reports, the only name listed as rescued is Aurora Aguinaldo')," Arturo recounted. It was only on the morning of Saturday that the bad news would finally be confirmed by the military. "Iyon ang pinakamasakit sa akin dahil ang alam ko na-rescue na [ang anak ko] dahil nabasa ko sa TV na ang anak ko ay na-rescue na (That's what hurts me the most because I still read on TV that my daughter had already been rescued)," said Arturo. Sibling: Grace is still missing Arturo said that he was able to talk to his other child in Haiti on Saturday morning, who told him Grace remained trapped in the rubble, contrary to reports.

Now that the good has been reversed, all Arturo could do was appeal to the government to exhaust all efforts to rescue his daughter and the six other Filipinos known to be trapped in the ruins. Arturo broke into tears while delivering his appeal. "Pakiusap ko lang sana, lalo na ako magulang. Isipin nyo na lang, magulang din kayo (I beg for your help. You are parents too, just as I am)," he said. 'We're doing everything we can' Brawner said that, despite the misinformation, the government is unfazed in helping with the search and rescue operations in Haiti. "Hindi natin sinasabi na si Ms. Fabian ay nasa panganib... Rest assured sa pamilya ni Grace na ginagawa natin at ng Philippine contingent ang lahat (We're not saying that Ms. Fabian is in any danger... Grace's family can rest assured that we and the whole Philippine contingent are doing everything we can)," Brawner said. Apart from Grace, five other Filipinos are confirmed still trapped in a number of establishments in Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince. [See: Signs of life detected in collapsed UN building in Haiti] The missing Filipinos include Jerome Yap and Geraldine Lalican, as well as peacekeepers Petty Officer 3 Pearly Panangui, Sergeant Janice Arocena, and Sergeant Eustacio Bermudez. Brawner said that backhoes and bulldozers have already arrived at the United Nations Peacekeeping headquarters at the Christopher Hotel, where the three peacekeepers are trapped, to help dig out rubble that might be weighing down on victims. The Philippines will be sending 155 more soldiers to Haiti in February to augment rescue forces there. The Department of Health will likewise be sending a medical team on Monday. - TJD, GMANews.TV
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