3rd batch of Pinoys arrives from quake-ravaged Haiti

After going through a brief flight delay, 12 Filipinos comprising the third batch of Filipinos from earthquake-devastated Haiti arrived home early Sunday. Radio dzBB’s Lito Laparan reported that government officials welcomed the 12 upon their arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). “Nasa bahay kami pero we’re sleeping outside, sa labas ng bahay sa may kalsada ... Medyo worried kami naroon ang pamilya namin (We had to sleep outside our house, in the street)," recalled Joan Despeñas, one of the repatriated Filipinos so survived the magnitude-7 earthquake in Haiti on January 12. Despeñas, who had been living in Haiti for 10 years and working as a supervisor at a fast-food outlet, said she was in the kitchen when the quake struck. Her mother was among those trapped in a supermarket for three days, but was rescued. Despeñas said her mother will go to New York for a vacation then return to Haiti. When asked if she will return to Haiti, she said, “probably yes." But she said she still worries about her friends Geraldine Lalican and Grace Fabian, who were also trapped in the collapsed supermarket. Four Filipinos were killed in the Haiti tragedy. Lalican and Fabian have remained unaccounted for. [see: 4th Pinoy fatality in Haiti found; missing down to 2] An initial list of the third batch identified the Filipinos by their surnames as Pretilla, Repiso, Sison, Manalansang, Dupone, Duran, and Ramirez. Four of the 12 are children. The Filipinos arrived on a Philippine Airlines PR-103 flight from Los Angeles, and were supposed to arrive at 5 a.m. but were delayed for more than an hour. Sunday's arrival brought to 23 the number of Filipinos repatriated from Haiti since the deadly quake. Labor officials said the next batch of Filipinos will likely arrive this Wednesday or Thursday. The first and second batches of Filipinos arrived at the NAIA last Friday and Saturday. Under the repatriation plan organized by the government, the Filipinos from Haiti were to be brought to the Dominican Republic and take connecting flights in Miami and Los Angeles. - LBG, GMANews.TV