Kin of Filipinos in MH17 crash to fly to the Netherlands to see remains



World leaders demand Russias hand in MH17 crash site
World leaders demand Russia's hand in MH17 crash site. Ukrainian State Emergency Service personnel collect bodies of victims at the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines plane in Grabove, in rebel-held east Ukraine on Sunday, July 20. The missile system used to shoot down the plane was handed to pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine by Moscow, a top US diplomat said Sunday. Outraged world leaders have demanded Russia's immediate cooperation in a prompt and independent probe of the incident. AFP/Bulent Kilic
Relatives of the Filipino victims of last week's crash of a Malaysia Airlines flight are set to fly to the Netherlands to see their loved ones' remains, a report on GMA News TV's “News To Go” said Monday.

The report said the family of Irene Gunawan in Pagbilao, Quezon, is in touch with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which is helping arrange for their trip to the Netherlands, where the remains of Gunawan and her children Darryl and Sherryl are expected to be taken.

Malaysia Airlines will shoulder their fare, the report added.

"Baka sakali na lang ako," Gunawan's brother, Tirso Pabellon, told GMA News. "Kung sakaling makuha nga 'yung bangkay ng mga bata, kahit ako'y nalulungkot ay [kung] nakita ko rin sa huling sandali, maligaya na 'ko nu'n."

The Gunawans were among the 298 people — 283 passengers from 11 countries and 15 Malaysia crew — on board Flight MH17, which crashed in eastern Ukraine after it was shot down from the ground.

Gunawan and her children were holders of Philippine passports, the DFA said.

Commemoration

While waiting for the flight, Gunawan's relatives are left only to reminisce the good times they shared with Irene, Darryl, and Sherryl through videos of their family reunions over the past years.

The videos, which they shared with GMA News, were taken by Gunawan's husband, Buddy, an Indonesian who was also killed in the crash.

Meanwhile, a glimpse on the social media accounts of Gunawan's children shows the lives and interests of the two prior to the incident.

Darryl, a medical student, was into photography, film, and graphic design. He was also a disc jockey. The blog of his sister, Sherryl, meanwhile, had the banner "Living my life to the fullest." She was into music, dancing, skateboarding, and arts.

Other ways of remembering the victims have been put in place in different countries following the crash.

In the Netherlands, a national commemorative service was held to pray for the victims, more than half of whom were Dutch.

Meanwhile, a candlelight vigil was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where participants not only prayed for the victims and their families, but also called to make those responsible for the crash accountable.—Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/KBK, GMA News

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