5 more Pinoys arrive from quake-hit Haiti

A second batch of five Filipinos arrived before dawn on Saturday from earthquake-devastated Haiti, a day after the first batch arrived home. Radio dzBB’s Lito Laparan reported Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) officials welcomed the five who arrived at 5:55 a.m. The five, initially identified as Victor Torizo, Dicsina Torizo, Allen Vincent Torizo, Bernadette Villagracia and Art Venus Villagracia, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Philippine Airlines PR-109 flight at 5:55 a.m. DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs executive director Enrico Fos said there were initially supposed to be 18 Filipinos in the second batch. OWWA head Carmelita Dimzon said the 13 encountered “booking problems." “Nagkaroon ng glitches sa booking from American airlines, for some reason we do not understand. Ang iba kailangan pang makakuha ng transit visa, may mga dapat pang ayusin kaya ang iba nakasakay (There were glitches in the booking with American airlines, for some reason we do not understand. Some needed to be issued transit visas so only five were able to make the trip home)," Dimzon said in an interview on dzBB radio. She said they expect the other Filipinos to return Sunday and Monday. Dimzon said they did not get a chartered flight for the Filipinos in Haiti because relatively few have decided to return. “It is not worth to get a chartered flight kung kakaunti lang (if there are few people returning home)," she said. In a separate interview on dzRH, Dimzon said the booking problem occurred while the Filipinos were in the Dominican Republic to take connecting flights in Miami and Los Angeles. “The 13 had problems in booking at the Dominican Republic. They are waiting to get their transit visas," she said. Bernadette Villagracia, an industrial engineer, said she felt fine but decided to return home. She said she felt God was “angry" when the quake hit Haiti. “Feeling ko galit na galit si Lord (I felt God was very angry)," Villagracia said on dzBB radio. But when asked if she will return to Haiti, she said, “Definitely." In a separate interview on dzRH, she recalled her son was all alone with a nanny. “Noong quake (ang anak ko) mag-isa sa bahay kasama ang yaya (My child was all alone with a nanny)," she said. On Friday, six Filipinos arrived from Haiti after taking connecting flights to Miami and Los Angeles. Dimzon assured the returning Filipinos of assistance in getting home, and help in getting livelihood. The Philippine National Red Cross and Department of Social Welfare and Development will also provide stress debriefing and psycho-social counseling for them, she added. "We know they have been through a traumatic experience and they will not forget it," Dimzon had said in an interview last Friday, while waiting for the first batch to arrive. Full military honors Meanwhile, full military honors await the remains of three United Nations peacekeepers that are expected to arrive this coming Tuesday. Radio dzRH reported the remains of peacekeepers DP3 Perlie Panangui, Sgt. Janice Arocena, and Sgt. Eustacio Bermudez Jr. will be brought to the Villamor Air Base upon arrival. - LBG, GMANews.TV