Dad wants to bring home dead wife, son

A Danao City resident who lost his wife and son in a flash flood in Iligan City hopes that he can transport their remains back home this Christmas.

Ricson Mangas is asking for help to transport the remains of his wife Jean and his four-year-old son Kent who visited relatives in Iligan City when tropical storm “Sendong” arrived there.

This came amid reports that the death toll rose to 1,200 six days after Tropical Storm “Sendong” struck the country.

Benito Ramos, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said two-thirds of the fatalities were from Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City, which took the brunt of the flashflood spawned by the storm.

“The number is still rising because we are continuously searching,” Ramos said in a phone interview from Cagayan de Oro.

He said 90 percent of the bodies lately recovered were fished out of the waters off Cagayan de Oro.

“They’re right there at Macajalar Bay, on the beach. The bodies are floating at sea,” Ramos said.  He said the death toll in Cagayan de Oro stood at 650.

More than half of them have not been identified since they are already in an advanced state of decomposition.

All of the 283 dead recovered in Iligan City were unidentified. The Iligan City government has held a mass burial for the unidentified victims.

Meanwhile in an interview, Mangas said his wife and son left for Iligan City last Dec. 12 and were supposed to come back home in Danao City this Friday to spend Christmas with him.

Mangas said he was unable to talk to his wife and son before the incident happened.  His brother-in-law called him up in the morning of Dec. 16 and was told that they were busy preparing food for a party.

He was worried that a typhoon was about to hit the area but he was assured by his brother-in-law that Jean and Kent will be safe.  But last Sunday, he learned that his wife and son died in a flashflood.

Their bodies are already in a funeral home but he can’t afford to have them transported back to Cebu.

Mangas hopes that he will be able to have them this Christmas.

“I had a dream. I saw my wife and son in my dream and they were calling out for help. They want to come home to me,” he said.

The Danao City government gave financial aid to Mangas but it wasn’t enough to cover the costs of transporting the remains from Iligan City to Cebu.

Other Cebuanos with relatives still missing in Cagayan de Oro City hope that they will find them in time for Christmas.

Leoniza Mabini asked local media to help find her cousin, Ginefe Gabucan who is still missing in Cagayan de Oro City.

Originally from Babag, Cebu City Gabucan, who is seven months pregnant and her husband Noel who is also from Cebu City moved to Cagayan de Oro City four years ago because of work.

Mabini said their last communication was on Friday last week.

She said the family climbed on the roof of their houses because the water was already too high.

The following day, they can no longer contact Gabucan and her family.

They have received information that Noel was rescued after he was washed away by the flashflood.

He was taken to the hospital but went out to find his missing wife and two-year-old son.

“We are still hoping that Ginefe and her son are still alive and will be able to come home this Christmas. But dead or alive, we want them to be with us,” Mabini said.

She said they received reports that Noel had yet to recover from his trauma.

“We also want Noel to be home with us so we can take good care of him,” said Alma Galorio, Noel’s cousin. Correspondent Carine m. Asutilla