Custody of the children ends as soon as the entire family of Angelo de la Cruz is reunited, said Mamerto Mercado, director of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in Central Luzon.
He said the children are "all fine," including four-year-old Jeffrey, the youngest of the brood who was released last Sunday after spending two days at the Angeles University Foundation Medical Center for treatment of acute bronchitis, pneumonia and minor dehydration.
Mercado said that to keep themselves from getting bored, the eight De la Cruz children — four of them minors — watch not only regular television programs but also movies on the DVD player in the centralized housing unit at the Clark special economic zone.
"Among the movies they seem to like are ‘Spiderman 2,’ ‘Volta,’ and ‘Sabel’," he said, referring to movies about the famous US comic book hero, a local comedienne endowed with super powers, and a rebel nun.
"Most of the movies they watch are Tagalog," said Mercado, who has been overseeing the welfare of the De la Cruz children since they volunteered to be placed under government custody last July 9.
They were initially brought to a housing unit near the Mimosa leisure estate here, but they were secretly moved to another unit — referred to as a "villa" by government officials — two days later apparently to shield them from media.
Mercado said that the children want to be brought to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to welcome home their father who has been held hostage by Iraqi militants since July 7. Angelo is expected to return to the country with wife Arsenia, who together with Angelo’s brother Jesse, was flown to Jordan by the government.
The reunited family is expected to be brought to Malacañang where President Arroyo is to welcome Angelo after the government pulled out its humanitarian team in Iraq as demanded by his captors who had threatened to behead him.
But Mercado could not say whether Jeffrey could be brought to the airport, as he noted that while he is "fine," he is still "recuperating."
Meanwhile, in De la Cruz’s hometown in Barangay Buenavista in Mexico town, Gov. Mark Lapid met with Angelo’s relatives, municipal and barangay officials, and even militant groups led by Migrante to map out welcome plans.
"We still have no confirmation that Angelo has been released, but we are anticipating his homecoming (because) we don’t like to get caught flatfooted," Lapid told The STAR earlier yesterday, before news of the truck driver’s release in Iraq broke out.
Lapid said he has asked them to prepare an estimate on how many were expected to turn out at the welcome so that enough packed meals could be prepared.
He said that the welcoming program is likely to be held at the elementary school near the De la Cruz residence to accommodate more well-wishers.