Davao City bombing victims: their faces and stories

Davao City bombing victims: their faces and stories

  DAVAO CITY - The night market in Davao City was the scene of death and chaos on Friday night after a bomb blast killed at least 14 people and injured 70 others. The victims included massage therapists, barbecue vendors, a tricycle driver, a policeman, a nurse and some students. “Some were robbed of their lives, others of their limbs and their means to make a living,” Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo wrote on her Facebook page on Sunday (September 4), after visiting a few of the victims. In a series of posts, Robredo shared the victims’ stories, saying it “should be enough reason for us to agree that there are more reasons to unite, rather than divide, us. It is in moments like this that we have to set aside our differences and come together as a nation and thwart the evil forces that threaten our very core.” Mother of three wanted to spend her birthday at beach Maria Luz Arellano was 28 years old when she died. She would have been 29 on September 15. Her husband, a security guard, in between sobs, recounted that a day before she died, Luz requested from him if they could spend her birthday at a nearby beach and he agreed. Luz was a massage therapist at the Roxas Night Market, where the blast happened. She worked only when the Night Market was up but was a full time mother to her three children during the day while her husband was at work. Their eldest, a son, is only 7 years old. The second, a daughter, is less than 5 and the youngest, also a girl, is 2 years old and was still being breastfed. The second asked to be carried and was saying that her mom was inside the coffin. The husband said his wife's face was beyond recognition and was just reconstructed at the mortuary. The husband felt helpless and kept on repeating that he did not know what to do after the funeral. He said there was no one to take care of his three young children while he was at work. Quitting was also not an option as he is the only breadwinner left in the family. He only wanted a massage after a hard day’s work Elmer Delibios was one of the critically wounded victims. Shrapnel hit him in the head and left him unconscious. He is currently attached to a life support system. His older sister was the one keeping watch over him. She was vigorously fanning him to keep the noon heat off because power was out when we visited and the generator was just enough for the basic hospital machines. Their mother is an overseas Filipino worker and the siblings live with their grandparents. The money being sent by their mother was enough for them at first. But when their grandfather got sick with tuberculosis (TB), the sister had to work as a cashier at a local grocery store to help with the medical expenses. Subsequently, their grandmother contracted TB as well. It was during that time that Elmer stopped school to moonlight as a tricycle driver to help augment the medical expenses. The evening of the blast, Elmer dropped by the Roxas Night Market to have a massage after a hard day at work. The sister is distraught. She said there was no one left to keep vigil at the hospital and it looks like they will be staying there for quite a longer time still. She is afraid she might lose her job if her absences persist. Their mother tried asking for an emergency leave from her employer, but the request was denied. Hence, she is unable to go home. Despite shattered intestines, woman survives all odds Fatima Manalo was one of the lucky ones who survived the blast. Shrapnel from the bomb pierced through her abdomen, shattering her intestines. The timely surgery and intervention of the doctors saved her life. Fatima is a barbecue vendor at the Roxas Night Market. It is her only source of income and has become the sole breadwinner of the family after her husband was incarcerated. She has seven children, ages 2 to 14. When Robredo visited her at the hospital, her mother and 14-year-old daughter were there. She started crying, saying that she was worried about her seven children as she needed to be in the hospital for a longer time because of the extent of her injuries. Robredo told her not to worry because her mother was there to help her out. Her mother agreed, telling her to just think about making herself well. “But her mother pulled me aside, telling me, she doesn't really know how to manage taking care of her seven grandchildren as she was already too old to work. She lives in Mati, away from the city, and said she needs to bring all of her children with her when she goes back home. I promised her I will try to help her out,” Robredo said. In pain, Fatima was still more concerned of the welfare of her children over her own. Her mother, despite her own worries, only showed strength when she promised her daughter that she'll take care of her grandchildren. Fatima was also asking about the other barbecue vendors who were at the scene the night of the blast. She said she saw them lying down and bloodied just before she was taken in by the ambulance.   Also read: Police hunt suspect in deadly Davao City 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