Sunday, November 02, 2008 Holiday revives pain of victims’ families By Katrina A. Balmaceda Sun.Star Correspondent
RUEL Javier will celebrate All Souls’ Day by throwing flowers into the sea.
The sea claimed his wife and son, who were among the over 700 who died when the mv Princess of the Stars sank last June 21.
He will be accompanied by his other sons.
Ruel, however, still cannot accept the loss of his two loved ones. He says he misses cracking jokes with them.
“(I miss) everything because we faced things together. Our family is so nice. I can’t accept what happened until now,” Ruel told Sun.Star Cebu.
He has already filed a civil suit against Sulpicio Lines Inc., the vessel’s owner.
Ruel coordinates with the Public Attorney’s Office and relatives of the other Cebuano victims. He has vowed to attend each hearing once the case picks up.
He also sat in a meeting with Cebu City south district Rep. Antonio Cuenco last August regarding the Board of Marine Inquiry report on the sinking, along with Hannilyn Garces.
Hannilyn, 20, lost her parents in the accident. She has two brothers, 17 and 18.
The three of them stayed yesterday at the Carreta cemetery, where her mother Lourdes is buried.
Lourdes’ body was found off Masbate last Sept. 10. The remains of her husband Lorenzo have yet to be found.
Hannilyn misses her mother’s cooking a lot. She added that she and her family used to love going places together and singing.
“Kanta-kanta, laag-laag... tanan gyud (Singing, going out... everything),” Hannilyn answered when asked what she missed most about her parents.
She added that she and her brothers have also found blessings to rejoice in, though what they really want to know is where their father is.
Ruel and Hannilyn may have represented the Cebuano victims’ relatives in the meeting with Cuenco, but they also represent the relatives of hundreds of victims whose bodies have yet to be found. They are likewise spending the weekend of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day praying for dead loved ones whom they have yet to bury.
Until Jennifer and Renz Anthony’s bodies are found, Ruel says he continues to hope and wait each day for his wife and son to come home. (KAB)
