|
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Death snuffs out dream of better life for nurse's family
By Claudine C. Dumalag
VICTORIAS CITY -- Her dreams vanished to thin air on that tragic Saturday evening.
Divina Padilla, who was supposed to work in Saudi Arabia as a nurse, was with her husband, Jay, and 18 other passengers aboard a Victorias City-bound public utility jeepney that smashed into the rear portion of a 10-wheeler truck loaded with 22 tons of sugarcane along the national highway of Hda. Adela, Barangay Rizal in Silay City at 10:30 p.m.
Her husband survived, but Divina died on the spot due internal hemorrhage and several major contusions in various parts of her body.
Her husband, who is now recuperating at the Bacolod City Doctors' Hospital, suffered a fractured left arm, two broken ribs and several bruises.
Divina, who taught at Riverside College in Bacolod, lived with her husband, a medical representative, and her father-in-law, Rogelio Padilla, in Sikatuna St., Lopez Subdivision, Victorias City.
Rogelio described his daughter-in-law as a "jolly one" and a loving wife to his son.
He said that the couple got married two years ago in a civil wedding. The couple were both nursing graduates of the University of Saint La Salle in Bacolod in 1994.
He also said that Divina was supposed to go to Saudi Arabia to work as a nurse in one of the hospitals there.
"Actually, she was just waiting for the official notice from the hospital. I heard that she will fly abroad early next year," said Rogelio.
He added that three months ago, Divina refused the offer to work as a nurse in one of the hospitals in Manila as she really wanted to go abroad and file a petition for her husband to also work there.
"I didn't interfere with their decision. They actually did not plan to have children yet, perhaps, they will when they are already both working abroad," said Rogelio.
He said that at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Divina left the house with her husband to treat him as she received her first salary from her two-week teaching stint.
Rogelio added his son told him hours prior to the accident that they went to the house of a friend named "Eugene" somewhere in Silay.
After hearing the news from one of the local broadcast stations at 10:45 p.m., Rogelio said that he tried to reach the cellular phone of his son that very moment, to no avail.
The elder Padilla also revealed that his eldest son, Rey, died in a vehicular accident along the national highway of E.B. Magalona town in 1998.
(November 18, 2003 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[ return
to top ]
[ home
]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
