
Speaker visits kin of OFW slain in Israel, gives cash aid

Photo credit: Office of Rep. Thirdy Maranon
SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Wednesday met with the family of Pinoy caregiver Paul Castelvi slain during the assault of militant group Hamas in Israel to personally extend his sympathies to the bereaved kin and deliver P500,000 in cash assistance.
At the same time, two separate teams from the Office of the Speaker and Tingog Party List also delivered the same amount of cash aid to the families of caregivers Loreta Alacre of Negros Occidental and Angelyn Aguirre of Pangasinan who were also killed during the Hamas attack in Israel.
Following confirmed reports of the death of the three OFWs in Israel Romualdez had announced a joint personal donation with Tingog Partylist Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez to provide cash aid and other forms of assistance to the affected families.
“No amount of assistance can truly compensate for your loss, but we hope this small gesture will help assuage your grief and alleviate some of the financial burdens you are facing during this difficult time,” Romualdez told Castelvi’s family.
Romualdez, leader of the 300-plus strong House of Representatives, was accompanied by Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales, Jr. and Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda in his visit to Castelvi’s family.
Negros Occidental 2nd District Rep. Alfredo Marañon III and Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante went with the team dispatched to give cash aid to Alacre’s family, while Rep. Ramon Guico, Jr. of Pangasinan’s 5th District helped deliver the assistance to the family of Aguirre.
“We stand in solidarity with our fellow Filipinos who, in search of a brighter future, found themselves in the midst of a conflict not of their own making. We honor the memory of our brave OFWs who paid the ultimate price,” he added.
Castelvi, 42, a resident of Purok 2, Juliana San Fernando, Pampanga, is married to his wife Jovelle, who is also currently in Israel, working as a caregiver. She is pregnant and expected to give birth to their first baby this November.
The son of Paul’s employer, Nadav Kipnis, recounted the Filipino caregiver’s kindness to his parents and expressed the belief that he tried to protect them from the Hamas militants.
Israeli officials also hailed the 32-year old Aguirre, married and a native of Brgy. Balagan in Binmaley, Pangasinan as a hero for showing courage when she refused to abandon her 70-year-old patient at a time when she had a choice to leave and save her own life.
Alacre, 49 years old and single is a resident Sitio Camay-An, Brgy. Cadiz Viejo in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.
In a Facebook post written in Hebrew, Alacre’s employer Noam Solomon said the slain Filipino worker was her “devoted” caregiver for the last six years.
Romualdez said the government is resolute in standing by its citizens, especially in times of adversity as he also underscored the importance of unity and support within the global Filipino community, particularly during times of crisis.
He reassured the families of the slain OFWs that their bodies would be repatriated as soon as possible, citing the vow of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. that the government would do everything possible to bring them back home.
President Marcos earlier said the government is just awaiting the opening of the humanitarian corridor in Rafah border to safely repatriate over 100 Filipinos in Gaza willing to come back home as well as the bodies of the slain OFWs.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration also said they are exploring alternative ways of repatriating the bodies of the three Filipinos killed in Israel.