Pabellon brother finds comfort in interviews

SEVERAL candles are lighted at the family altar in a corner of Tirso Pabellon’s living room. Behind the candles is a faded photo of Irene when she was still a teenager and a member of an all-Filipino band that played in Japan’s night clubs in the early 1980s. DELFIN MALLLARI JR./ INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON

PAGBILAO, Quezon—Amid grief and tragedy, the presence of journalists can sometimes be a source of comfort for the bereaved.

Roselia Pabellon said her husband Tirso found solace and relief during interviews by journalists on the tragic death of his sister Irene and her family.

Irene, her Indonesian husband Budy Janto Gunawan and their children, Darryl Dwight, 20, and Sherryl Shania, 15, who were living in The Netherlands, were among the 298 fatalities of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which was shot down near the Russian border in strife-torn eastern Ukraine on Thursday.

Two OB (outside broadcasting) vans of Manila-based television networks have been on standby in front of the Pabellon house in “Kalye Heaven” in  Barangay (village)  Bucal here since Friday.

“His accommodation to all media interviews was his way of learning to accept the sad truth of Irene’s death,” Roselia told the Inquirer in an interview at the Pabellon house here on Monday. “The interviews have helped him unburden himself… of [his] grief and sorrows,” Roselia said.

Time

Roselia said Tirso always had time for all the journalists who wanted an interview for information on the Gunawans. “Even if he was already feeling dizzy, he made sure to always have time to accommodate all of them,” she said.

The Gunawan family was bound for the Philippines to attend the annual Pabellon clan reunion, which was scheduled on July 27, when the tragedy happened. The clan hails from this town, some 141 kilometers south of Manila.

Band members

Irene and husband Budy were both veteran band members in The Netherlands. She was a vocalist and drummer, while Budy used to play lead guitar before he found employment with Malaysia Airlines as a supervisor.

The Gunawan couple and their son Darryl, a popular disk jockey in The Netherlands, planned to provide live music in the family’s annual  event.

Roselia said their family no longer planned to attend the reunion. Instead, close family members would hear a special Mass for the Gunawans on July 26.

Tirso, his eldest sister Lynda, his son Ronel and nephew Kim left on Monday morning to secure their passports at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) office in Manila to prepare for their travel to The Netherlands for the Gunawans’ burial. Kim is the son of Irene’s late brother Fidel, the second among the six Pabellon siblings.

Passports

Malaysia Airlines is paying for the passport and visa fees, as well as the plane tickets to The Netherlands, of two family members of the Gunawans.

Assistant Foreign Secretary Charles Jose said the DFA helped four members of the Gunawan family based in Quezon province get their passports Monday.

Roselia said Tirso and companions would travel directly to The Netherlands, where they would be met by his youngest sister Lilia, who is based there.

Tirso’s departure date from Manila to The Netherlands has yet to be confirmed by the DFA. “We were told that their travel will be a priority for the DFA,” she said.

Prayers

During the interview, Roselia and some close relatives were preparing for the holding of the fourth day of prayer, in observance of the Filipino tradition of praying for nine days for the repose of the soul of the departed.

Several candles were lighted at the family altar in one corner of the living room. Behind the candles was a faded photo of Irene when she was still a teenager and a member of an all-Filipino band that played in Japan’s night clubs in the early 1980s. With a report from Christine O. Avendano in Manila