Pinoy family in Barcelona terror attack back in Ireland


The terrorist attack in Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain, earlier this month left the two children of a Filipino-Irish couple so "traumatized" that they "shout and cry" at the smallest noise, according to a report on the Irish Times.
Norman and Pederlita Potot's son Nathaniel, 5 years old, suffered a broken femur from the attack while their daughter Nailah, 9, suffered a broken arm. The attack left 13 people dead and more than 100 injured.
The family has since returned to Ireland.
Speaking about their experience with RTÉ News, Norman recalled that they were buying souvenirs in Las Ramblas when the van sped toward his family and other tourists.
Norman suffered a fracture to his forehead and a bruised kidney when the impact from the van threw him to the ground. Pederlita saw her husband's bloody face and thought he died but struggled until he woke up.
"By the time he woke up, I went to my kids. That's the time the police told us to run away from that place, to hide somewhere," Pederlita told RTÉ.
Out of fear that the attackers had guns, the Potot family and other victims were taken to a basement to hide until authorities cleared the area.
"While she's wiping my forehead, I told her 'My love, hopefully this is only a dream.' And she replied: 'No my love, it is real.' That's what I remember," Norman said.
Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia visited the family while recuperating at a hospital.
Norman said they feel "very safe" back in Ireland but described the attack as a "really horrible experience," while his wife said they were "very sad, but I'm trying to be okay for my kids."
Another vehicular attack took place in the seaside resort of Cambrils hours after the attack in Barcelona. Both attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group. —Rie Takumi/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