Relatives cope with death of Pinay in Japan
MANILA, Philippines - Michael Lopez, 26, could barely hold his tears when the wooden box containing the remains of his sister, Crisanta Mahusay Lopez, was opened at a funeral parlor in Quezon City on Sunday afternoon.
He last saw her three years ago, dressed in regal white at the Immaculate Concepcion Metropolitan Cathedral in Roxas City, Capiz where she exchanged vows with her Japanese husband, Masayoshi Nagano.
But now, the bruises on his sister’s face erased any memory of her once cheerful glow.
“I just hope you stay in Japan and never set foot in the Philippines," Michael muttered in Filipino, referring to his brother-in-law, who is also his sister’s murderer.
Crisanta and her seven-month-old son Naomasa were killed on March 17 by her husband, Masayoshi, in their apartment at Higashikurume district in Tokyo.
Japanese police said the 43-year-old Seibu Bus Co driver stabbed his 33-year-old wife and choked his son to death over depression and lack of sleep from the baby’s incessant crying.
Michael regrets not having to see his sister alive again. As the only boy and youngest of five children, he feels he could have defended his sister if only he was by her side.
When Crisanta left her job at the Distileria Limtuaco in Quezon City and flew to the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ sometime in 1997 as an entertainer, she was able to send Michael to college.
Michael has since wanted to repay his sister’s generosity, but admitted it is already too late.
Ginalyn, Crisanta’s cousin, broke down after seeing the two boxes, wrapped in off-white cloths bearing ornate chrysanthemum impressions, arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Sunday afternoon.
“I almost forgot, it’s our nephew’s [Noamasa's] eight month (of birth) today [March 30]," she tearfully recalled later at the Tajuna funeral homes.
“We heard they were happy as a family so we were shocked when this happened," added Ginalyn.
She regrets not having seen the baby in person since his birthday in July 2007. All the family saw were pictures of the healthy Naomasa, often in playful laughter in their home in Japan.
Michael painted a different picture of his nephew.
According to him, last November Naomasa underwent an operation in the testicles and was in poor health.
The baby would often cry, Crisanta told him, and this distracted Masayoshi’s sleep.
“They slept in the living room so that her husband won’t be kept awake," said Michael.
Crisanta’s friends in Japan told Michael that Masayoshi became envious of the child especially since his sister gave more attention to him.
“My sister used to give his husband a bath," Michael said.
"Old Man"
In 2001, Michael received a call from Crisanta telling them that she’s being pursued by a Japanese guy.
“She told my mother that an old Japanese man was courting her. My sister said the guy was as old as our mother," Michael recalled.
Three years later, they would first see Crisanta’s boyfriend in person, a Japanese man ten years her senior.
Michael remembered Masayoshi as a quiet man who can’t understand English. The language barrier prevented his family from knowing the man more while his sister desperately bridged the gap by standing as the translator.
“We weren’t able to talk to him well. When we were about to eat, the two of them would talk. He was okay to us, since he was okay to my sister,’ he said.
The church wedding was apparently shouldered by Crisanta herself as Michael recalled withdrawing P100,000 from her sister’s savings account, weeks before the event.
Since then, they have not heard any problems between the couple until Crisanta’s friends reported her death earlier this month.
Preparations
For now, Michael said they are still coping with his sister’s death. Their mother, meanwhile, was kept unaware of Crisanta’s murder fearing that her frail heart could not handle it.
“My mother only knows Crisanta died of an accident," he said.
On Tuesday morning, the bodies of Crisanta and Naomasa would be flown to Roxas City via Philippine Airlines flight 189, for a three-day wake.
“I’m trying hard to be okay. But it’s still hard to accept what happened to my sister," he said. - GMANews.TV
He last saw her three years ago, dressed in regal white at the Immaculate Concepcion Metropolitan Cathedral in Roxas City, Capiz where she exchanged vows with her Japanese husband, Masayoshi Nagano.
But now, the bruises on his sister’s face erased any memory of her once cheerful glow.
“I just hope you stay in Japan and never set foot in the Philippines," Michael muttered in Filipino, referring to his brother-in-law, who is also his sister’s murderer.
Crisanta and her seven-month-old son Naomasa were killed on March 17 by her husband, Masayoshi, in their apartment at Higashikurume district in Tokyo.
Japanese police said the 43-year-old Seibu Bus Co driver stabbed his 33-year-old wife and choked his son to death over depression and lack of sleep from the baby’s incessant crying.
Michael regrets not having to see his sister alive again. As the only boy and youngest of five children, he feels he could have defended his sister if only he was by her side.
When Crisanta left her job at the Distileria Limtuaco in Quezon City and flew to the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ sometime in 1997 as an entertainer, she was able to send Michael to college.
Michael has since wanted to repay his sister’s generosity, but admitted it is already too late.
Ginalyn, Crisanta’s cousin, broke down after seeing the two boxes, wrapped in off-white cloths bearing ornate chrysanthemum impressions, arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Sunday afternoon.
“I almost forgot, it’s our nephew’s [Noamasa's] eight month (of birth) today [March 30]," she tearfully recalled later at the Tajuna funeral homes.
“We heard they were happy as a family so we were shocked when this happened," added Ginalyn.
She regrets not having seen the baby in person since his birthday in July 2007. All the family saw were pictures of the healthy Naomasa, often in playful laughter in their home in Japan.
Michael painted a different picture of his nephew.
According to him, last November Naomasa underwent an operation in the testicles and was in poor health.
The baby would often cry, Crisanta told him, and this distracted Masayoshi’s sleep.
“They slept in the living room so that her husband won’t be kept awake," said Michael.
Crisanta’s friends in Japan told Michael that Masayoshi became envious of the child especially since his sister gave more attention to him.
“My sister used to give his husband a bath," Michael said.
"Old Man"
In 2001, Michael received a call from Crisanta telling them that she’s being pursued by a Japanese guy.
“She told my mother that an old Japanese man was courting her. My sister said the guy was as old as our mother," Michael recalled.
Three years later, they would first see Crisanta’s boyfriend in person, a Japanese man ten years her senior.
Michael remembered Masayoshi as a quiet man who can’t understand English. The language barrier prevented his family from knowing the man more while his sister desperately bridged the gap by standing as the translator.
“We weren’t able to talk to him well. When we were about to eat, the two of them would talk. He was okay to us, since he was okay to my sister,’ he said.
The church wedding was apparently shouldered by Crisanta herself as Michael recalled withdrawing P100,000 from her sister’s savings account, weeks before the event.
Since then, they have not heard any problems between the couple until Crisanta’s friends reported her death earlier this month.
Preparations
For now, Michael said they are still coping with his sister’s death. Their mother, meanwhile, was kept unaware of Crisanta’s murder fearing that her frail heart could not handle it.
“My mother only knows Crisanta died of an accident," he said.
On Tuesday morning, the bodies of Crisanta and Naomasa would be flown to Roxas City via Philippine Airlines flight 189, for a three-day wake.
“I’m trying hard to be okay. But it’s still hard to accept what happened to my sister," he said. - GMANews.TV
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