Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. said the children, aged 5 to 14 are currently under the custody a spiritual leader and their future looks bleak with nobody to permanently support them.
"We are looking for the guardians who can provide a bright future for these children," said Abalos after he personally handed the city government’s P20,000 financial assistance to each of the relatives of the victims at his office yesterday.
Jovy Ricamara, 14, broke into tears as he received the envelope containing cash from Abalos. Her parents, Ernesto and Ignacia, were among those who were killed when the passenger jeep they were riding plunged into a 70-foot hole at a construction site near the Boni Avenue station of the MRT on EDSA.
The other victims were Reynaldo Destura, the jeepney driver, his wife Salvacion, and son Ryan, 9; Romulo Tacatani; Elizabeth Galang, 42; Veronica Guiab, 47, and Francis Tugade.
According to Jovy, her parents left her siblings under her care on that fateful Saturday to attend the "Gawaing Born Again" prayer rally in Quezon City.
Abalos has initiated moves to raise funds to support the children. "I’m appealing to Good Samaritans for financial assistance to these kids," the mayor said as he ordered his assistants to work out a viable trust fund for the Ricamora children.
Meanwhile, the contractor of the 30-storey Globe Asiatique building also extended yesterday P200,000 in assistance to the victims.
Abalos directed Conrad Anciado, head of the city engineering office, to act as liaison officer of the relatives and the contractor so the money could be divided equally among them.
The young mayor also directed yesterday the local police chief Superintendent Ericson Velasquez to check the story of one survivor, Daniel Destura, 7, who claimed that a passenger bus bumped the jeepney from behind before it rammed into the construction site barrier.
Destura and Reggie Abella, 23, survived by clinging to a railing before their jeepney plunged into the hole. The two and another survivor, Divine Guiab have been released from the hospital. Two others – Ronald Falleria, 38 and Clarence Destura, 5, are still under observation.
In a TV interview, Daniel described the color of the bus as red but failed to get its body number or the company that operates it.
"We should trace the bus and determine whether they are liable too," said Abalos in his directive to Velasquez. "I’m appealing to witnesses to surface and help us identify the bus so we can run after its operators."
Abalos has ordered the suspension of work at the construction site pending results of investigation conducted by Anciado. – Non Alquitran