Pinay who saved baby in Hong Kong blaze now stable

MANILA, Philippines, December 2 ------ A Filipina worker who saved a baby during the massive fire in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Nov. 26 is now in stable condition, according to the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong.

Consul General Romulo Victor Israel Jr. broke the news during an interview on dzMM yesterday, on the condition of overseas Filipino worker Rhodora Alcaraz Tuñacao who saved a three-month-old baby – by embracing the infant and protecting him from heavy smoke for several hours – before rescuers found her, the baby and the baby’s mother.

All three survived the fire. However, Tuñacao was brought to the intensive care unit where her condition was critical. Over the weekend, her condition improved and she is now stable. “We were able to speak to her yesterday (Sunday). The last time I visited her on Saturday, she was still intubated, could not speak and was sedated,” Israel said in Filipino. “But she felt our presence, opened her eyes and gave us the thumbs up. Yesterday, the tube was gone and she was able to speak a little. She recounted to us everything that happened in the building. She is now stable and the prognosis is good. Her vital signs are stable,” The consul general added.

“Hopefully, in a few days, her condition gets better so she can be discharged from the hospital. She’s very interested to know what happened to the baby – she’s been asking all the doctors about the infant. That’s probably just showing how caring Filipinos are,” Israel said.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said Tuñacao is undergoing proper treatment and will receive all necessary assistance from the Philippine government. Personnel from the OWWA regional office also visited Tuñacao’s family and extended the appropriate assistance to them. Meanwhile, OWWA expressed deep sadness over the death of Filipino domestic helper Maryan Pascual Esteban. She was among the over 120 lives lost in the massive fire.

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac and OWWA Administrator PY Caunan immediately visited the family of Esteban in their home in Cainta. OWWA noted that Esteban was an active member of the agency and thus, her family will receive all mandated benefits. Cacdac said the government will exert efforts to repatriate the remains of Esteban at the soonest possible time. Esteban’s child, who dreams of becoming a firefighter, will receive education support under OWWA’s Education and Livelihood Assistance Program.

Source: philstar.com