Monday, March 7, 2011

NZ quake victim ID may take months

CHRISTCHURCH - It may take months before the remains of earthquake victims in New Zealand can be identified, according to the New Zealand Police.

This was revealed as recovery operations at the collapsed CTV Building in Christchurch wound up last Saturday. Eleven Filipinos got trapped and died at the building.

Atty. Giovanni Palec, Charge d'Affairs of the Philippine Embassy in Wellington, said authorities just want to be methodical and accurate in identifying victims' remains.

The Sumalpong couple, parents of earthquake victim Rhea Mae Sumalpong, will be returning to Australia empty-handed. They said they will just come back when the remains of their daughter have been identified.

Relatives of some of the other Filipino victims, meanwhile, are scheduled to arrive in Christchurch from the Philippines on Wednesday.

They are Roberto Bensurto, father of Valquin; Alexander Amantillo, brother of Mary Louise; and, Joanna Chua, relative of John Christopher Chua.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is giving them a place to stay. King's Education Ltd., the language school in the CTV Building attended by the Filipino victims, paid for their air fares.

Christchurch is known for its picturesque vistas, but in the middle of its beauty, fear and anxiety now grip the Filipino community.

The 6.3-magnitude earthquake has resulted in extensive damage, and some Filipinos are worried they may lose their jobs.

A few rest homes are already closing their operations, forcing nurses working as caregivers--while they are not yet licensed to be registered nurses--to be worried about their future.

Some of the workers were sent by agencies to New Zealand to be students, and they were promised jobs as nurses in exchange for fees amounting to almost P500,000.

It will take awhile before the earthquake victims get to recover from the tragedy at Christchurch, as they face uncertainty over their future.

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