Acid attack ruins HK holiday of Pinoy family

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino family ended up spending their four-day vacation in Hongkong in a hospital after an unknown attacker splashed them with acid, a television report said.

In a report aired over Q’s Balitanghali, the Asistio family recounted that they were walking around the streets of Hong Kong at around 8 p.m. on Monday looking for a place to eat when someone threw a plastic bag at them.

“Para siyang alam mo yung inalog na soda, parang soft drinks na nag-bubbles talaga, tumalsik sa amin tapos biglang parang umulan sa amin ng muriatic acid," Anna Dionnie Asistio told GMA reporter Marvin Tumandao.

[It was like shaken soda, like soft drinks with bubbles, that splashed on us. The next thing we knew, we were bathed in muriatic acid]

In just a few seconds, their skin started to peel off.

Daniel Asistio, patriarch of the family of ten, suffered the most while protecting his four-year-old granddaughter Mishka from the attacker.

“Inano ko ‘yung apo ko kaya marami akong tama sa likod, tinakluban ko [I protected my granddaughter so I got burned at the back]," he said.

Mishka was also hurt during the incident, the report said.

Her baby sister, on the other hand, was saved by their father, model Alvin Abelardo.

The Asistios said Hong Kong officials quickly responded to the incident.

“Inasikaso kami ng government, ng Hong Kong government, ng officials, kaya na-transfer agad kami sa Disney Land Hotel. Nung na-transfer kami ‘dun, okay naman, special treatment naman ang ginawa nila sa amin," said Debbie Anne Asistio.

[The Hong Kong government assisted us. We were immediately transferred to the Disney Land Hotel. When we transferred there, we were given special treatment]

Hong Kong tourism officials said they will fly to the Philippines next week to personally update the Asistio family about the case. The family returned home Thursday night.

Hong Kong is a favorite tourism and shopping destination for Filipinos because of its proximity to the Philippines. It is also host to more than 100,000 Filipino workers, mostly domestic helpers. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more