‘My father wanted to go home, but he couldn’t’

BAUAN, Batangas — Cecilio Silang had been working in the Middle East for the last 17 years, and longed to come home for good.

But it was a longing he had to endure, for he needed the income from his work as a drydock worker in the United Arab Emirates.

Last Wednesday, Cecilio came home at last, but it was not a happy occasion for his family.

"My father had wanted very much to come home after working abroad for 17 years, but he couldn’t because my young brothers and sisters were still studying and they needed money for school," recalls Cecilio’s daughter Lucelle at their home in Barangay Sta. Maria here.

Lucelle is the second of the eight children of Cecilio, 49, a pipe-fitter who was among the 16 Filipino contract workers who died in a drydock accident in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, last week.

Lucelle’s father would come home every two or three years, occasions that he looked forward to as he would be spending two months of his vacation with his children for whom he was working so hard.

When he was home for his sabbatical in June 1999, Lucelle remembers her father confiding to her, "If not for your brothers Felimon and Joseph, your sisters Lorielyn and Lovely, I would want to stay here, run a small business and relax. But I still have to work until they finish their studies."

Two of Cecilio’s sons are in college, while two girls are in grade school.

His eldest son Jomer, 28, a contractual worker, was working with him in the Dubai drydock as a welder. Luckily, Jomer was working on another dock when his father’s dock collapsed.

"Jomer is worried that he might not be permitted to come home for our father’s funeral as he’s still a contractual worker and will not be a regular until after three months," Lucelle says.

Lucelle has fond memories of her father: "He was a sweet and loving father. He longed for a grandchild, that’s why he wanted me to get married."

Lucelle works in a big factory close to their house and has not been absent for a day for a whole year. But on the day her father died, she felt odd and disoriented. "I was ready to leave for work when suddenly I felt a strange heaviness in my body. I grew faint and I didn’t know why and so I decided not to go to work," she recalls.

It was a family friend, Boy Ochea, who happened to have a son working in Dubai, who broke the news of the terrible accident at the Dubai drydock on March 27.

Lucelle immediately placed a call to Bart Tipaktipak in Dubai, a supervisor at the drydock and brother-in-law of Cecilio, to inquire about her father and brother. Bart confirmed the accident but informed Lucelle that her father was still missing.

"My mother fainted upon hearing the tragic news. It’s really sad for all of us," Lucelle sobs.

After an agonizing wait, word finally came from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) office that her father was among those who died in the accident.

"My brother Jomer called us up immediately, he was crying then. He assured my mother and my brothers and sisters that he will continue helping us," Lucelle says,

President Arroyo personally condoled with the families of the 16 Filipino fatalities whose remains arrived Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on board a United Arab Emirates flight from Dubai.

OWWA Administrator Wilhelm Soriano said the Dubai Drydock Co. would shoulder all expenses for the transport of all the victims’ remains. OWWA also promised to extend financial assistance for the families of the OFWs, including assistance for burial and livelihood.

The other victims were identified as Joseph Cayaban, Florante Mercado, Rolando Romero, Jose Santos, Ferdinand Velasco, Arturo Rodriguez, Jose Canunji Lizo, Jim Lucero, Vittorio Gustilo, Henry Sumanga, Emando Canlas, Henry Sanchez, Sofio Bosero, Arthur Pulido and Marcelino Sumagang.