She passed away last Friday; a victim of a hit-and-run incident in
Dubai. She just got here last December and started to work for WS
Atkins as a cafeteria assistant only since 4th December. Now she is
dead. She was waiting for the bus when she was struck by a speeding
car. She sustained serious head injuries and was taken to Rashid
Hospital. Yet she did not survive. The driver is still at large. Her
employers have been very supportive despite only being with them for a
short time. There may be a wake in her honor but yesterday, Atkins
Dubai held a one-minute of silence in her memory. How sad and how
tragic. Her family, a brother I think will be coming over to oversee
her "repatriation". It took a long time for any family member to come over since no one has any passport ready and they had to apply for one to travel.
It is very sad, indeed. She is another victim of "the dream": to find a
better life in a foreign land. Sadly that dream only culminated in her death. She's another statistic, another digit in the growing list of casualties who only hoped for a better chance at life for herself and her family. Another Filipino who, unable to find employment in her own country, chose to find it elsewhere.
2007 is elections year and with it, comes the many promises and sweet talk from political figures who will attempt to gain our confidence with strong words and lofty ideals just to get the votes. Despite all these, the queues in the overseas employment agencies, the US or Canadian Embassies, the DFA are getting longer and longer as many would rather put their life at stake and gamble for a life away from their families, earning foreign currency than leave their fate to the politicians who will surely once again disappoint and desert the people as soon as they're sitting in power. Until when are we going to allow our own countrymen - our own daughters, mothers, brothers, fathers, sons - to become a statistic?
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