Irish president condoles with PHL on Pinay's death

Irish President Mary McAleese relayed her condolences to the Philippines for the death of a Filipina hospital worker in the wake of floods in Ireland last month. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said McAleese expressed sorrow for the death of Celia Ferrer de Jesus, who drowned in her basement during the floods. De Jesus, a nurse from the Philippines, died last week after her home was flooded. "(McAleese) has also requested Ambassador Ariel Abadilla to relay the President's condolences to Ms. De Jesus' family and to the Filipino community," the DFA said, citing a report from the Philippine embassy in Dublin. Many Filipinos in Ireland are nurses and hospital employees, the DFA noted. Heavy rain in Dublin caused rivers and canals to overflow, resulting in a strong surge of flood waters trapping De Jesus in her basement apartment. Emotional farewell Meanwhile, some 200 people gave De Jesus an emotional farewell at Our Lady's Hospice in Harold's Cross, Dublin, where she worked, the Irish Times reported. The report said those who gathered for De Jesus formed a guard of honor as her body was taken to Dublin airport, from where it was flown home to the Philippines. During the service, hospice chief executive Mo Flynn extended her sympathies to the family, saying Irish people were well aware of the “emotional challenges" facing those affected by emigration. - VVP, GMA News