Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr lauded domestic helper Rhodora Alcaraz as a hero for her role in saving her employer’s baby during Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades.
Romulo Victor M Israel Jnr, the country’s top diplomat in Hong Kong, also told the Post that Alcaraz, a survivor of last month’s inferno at Wang Fuk Court, was facing a long physical recovery.
The helper met President Marcos, together with his wife, Maria Louise Araneta-Marcos, when she arrived at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, where he was inspecting some new facilities.
Alcaraz was accompanied by two of her sisters, who flew with her from Hong Kong.
Marcos also reportedly praised Alcaraz for her role in saving the three-month-old baby in the fire despite the danger.
Israel, the Philippines’ consul general in Hong Kong, said Alcaraz suffered injuries to her lungs, throat and respiratory system from carbon monoxide fumes resulting from the fire.
He said that the helper, together with her female employer and the baby, sought refuge in the bedroom, located on the 13th floor of Wang Fuk Court’s Wang Cheong House, and waited six or seven hours before they were rescued.
Alcaraz’s story has gone viral among Hong Kong’s Filipino community and in the Philippines.
Recounting the story, Israel said Alcaraz, her employer and the baby covered themselves in wet blankets as they waited for rescue.
“[Alcaraz] was close to panicking because it was her first day of work, and this was happening,” Israel said. “They were all trying to survive.”
The envoy said the helper tried to call for help and made appeals on social media, while her employer contacted her husband.
“[Alcaraz] told us that when they entered the room, the employer gave her the baby to hold and cover with a wet blanket,” he said.
“Once they were rescued, she was telling us she had to walk on her own, as she was very weak by that time. She couldn’t even put on the slippers given to her by the firefighter.”
Israel said that Alcaraz had to walk down after a firefighter was unable to carry her on his shoulder for long.
The diplomat said doctors had told him that Alcaraz was already unconscious when she was admitted to the hospital.
“The mother also is very courageous; she didn’t panic, so both the employer and Rhodora are heroes. Either one of them could have panicked, probably tried to rush through the rooms into the fire,” he said.
“We can say there’s some divine intervention that they were able to survive.”
Israel told the Post that his country wanted to convey its appreciation and gratitude to Alcaraz’s employers, “especially the female employer for being courageous”.
He noted that Alcaraz had asked healthcare professionals and the others about the baby’s health while the helper was still in intensive care.
The envoy also said she had inhaled a lot of carbon monoxide from the fire.
“She was placed in a machine to suction the soot from her lungs,” he said.
“The first time we saw her [in the intensive care unit], she was comatose. But probably she felt our presence; she tried to open her eyes and then gave a thumbs up. She couldn’t talk; she was full of tubes.”
He also recalled that her throat was swollen from the fumes, adding that she had struggled to swallow and had to be fed through another tube for several days after the breathing tube was taken out.
But Israel said she was slowly recovering, having started eating on her own and slowly regaining her voice.
“She was able to talk to us, but in whispers. She was whispering her words,” he said.
The doctor also said her eyes were initially red from exposure to smoke, and her vision was back to normal only after a couple of days.
Alcaraz told Israel that she planned to reunite with her five-year-old son, her partner, her other siblings and their elderly mother.
“They’re planning to stay together in Quezon [province],” he said.
Israel also said the body of the lone Filipino victim of the fire, Maryan Pascual Esteban, would be repatriated “hopefully by this weekend, and definitely before Christmas”.
Her body would be flown from Hong Kong to Manila, then delivered back to her hometown in Jones, Isabela province, by a domestic flight and then by car, he said.
Hong Kong’s Immigration Department said it had made special arrangements for foreign domestic helpers whose employers were unable to continue their contracts due to the fire.
“Under these arrangements, affected foreign domestic helpers are allowed to remain in Hong Kong for three months as visitors to seek new employers (extendable if necessary), without having to return to their places of origin first,” it said.
“The [department] will also waive the relevant fees for their extension of stay.”
A special HK$20,000 (US$2,600) subsidy has also been distributed to the 110 affected helpers who worked at Wang Fuk Court. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
