PH consulate in HK confirms OFW killed in high-rise blaze
A Filipino worker has been confirmed to be among the at least 128 individuals who were reported killed in a massive fire that hit a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong on Nov. 26.
In a statement on Sunday, the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong announced the passing of Maryan Pascual Esteban, who had earlier been reported missing.
“Far from her native home, she had made innumerable sacrifices to provide a better life for her family. She leaves behind a 10-year-old son and her family in Cainta, Rizal,” the consulate general said, as it offered its condolences to Esteban’s family and loved ones.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) described the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) as a “heroine who died while taking care of her employer’s 5-year-old daughter.”
Government assistance
It said that Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief PY Caunan visited Esteban’s family over the weekend to offer President Marcos’ sympathies as well as government assistance.
“We assured the 10-year-old son of our dear OFW that his mother lives in his heart forever, and would want nothing more than [to] have him finish his studies,” Cacdac said in a statement.
When the 10-year-old boy was asked what he wanted to be when he grows up, the DMW said he replied: “A firefighter, so that no one dies in fires anymore.”
As of Nov. 30, the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong said that 84 Filipinos affected by the fire were safe and accounted for. One suffered injuries while seven others are up for verification.
It assured the families of OFWs in Hong Kong of continuous on-the-ground operations to check the welfare of Filipinos affected by the Tai Po fire in New Territories.
The fire that hit seven of the eight buildings of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex was finally put out on Nov. 28. On top of the 128 deaths reported, some 200 people are still unaccounted for, making the fire Hong Kong’s deadliest since 1948.
