MANILA (UCAN): The Philippine government repatriated the remains of a second Filipino woman killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza region, while thousands of other workers have decided to continue in Israel.
The remains of Angelyn Aguirre-Torre, a 33-year-old nurse, arrived in Manila on November 3. She was reportedly killed after she did not leave a bomb shelter with her elderly patient who was unable to move. Consequently, both died inside the shelter.
She is among four Filipino migrant workers killed ever since Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, starting a war with Israeli forces. Israel has been bombarding the disputed Gaza strip since then aiming to annihilate Hamas, terming them as terrorists.
Aguirre-Torre made an “unconditional choice to stay by her patient’s side instead of saving her own life,” said Raymond Democrito Mendoza, president of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, in a statement.
Her action “exemplified the best in the Filipino even in the worst of times and amid the ravages of war,” said Mendoza, also deputy speaker of the House of Representatives.
He said the nurse, “went above and beyond the call of duty to help others, even at the risk of losing her own life.”
Previously, the body of Loreta Alacre was brought back on October 23, after she was killed in the confllict. Alacre spent 15 years in Israel as a migrant worker to support her siblings, nephews and nieces, according to a statement from St. Peregrine Parish in Cadiz City.
The remains of Angelyn Aguirre-Torre, a 33-year-old nurse, arrived in Manila on November 3. She was reportedly killed after she did not leave a bomb shelter with her elderly patient who was unable to move. Consequently, both died inside the shelter
Offering prayers and condolences, it asked Catholics to “continue to pray for peace, especially for peace in Israel as we ask Jesus to deliver us from violence and war.”
Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the country’s president, ordered the repatriation programme of migrant workers caught in the crisis, which has brought home at least 119 Filipinos, mostly caregivers and hotel workers.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
Reports say some 30,000 Filipinos live in Israel, with at least 134 in the Gaza Strip. The Philippine government has ordered the repatriation of all Philippine citizens in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the presidential office reported on November 3 that the Israeli government assured the Philippines that it would allow Filipinos to pass the Rafah Crossing going to Egypt, to bring Filipinos out of the war zone.
However, thousands of Philippine migrants continue in Israel.
Maricel Garces, a migrant worker who spent 18 years in Israel, said she chose not to leave the country because of her work. “The conflict is not in all places here,” Garces said.
When the siren warns of a bomb attack, they would take shelter in a bunker. “But I feel nervous. Especially when hearing the sounds of the siren,” the Tel Aviv -based Garces said.
She said she has been lucky to be able to “regularly keep in touch” with her family by telephone.
Many Filipino migrants remain in Israel as they fear they will be jobless once back home, Garces explained, adding that it would be difficult for people of her age to find a job back home.
An estimated 11 million Filipinos, some 10 per cent of the national population, are migrant workers across the world, propelling the country’s economy with their remittances.
