Maricris Ancheta, a mother from Barangay Masical, Amulung, Cagayan, expressed deep anguish as she recounted the harrowing ordeal her daughter faced in the severe flooding that struck Dubai.
“Sabi ko naman sa kanya, huwag ka muna umuwi, mas safe ka diyan, [pero sabi niya] ‘hindi mama kasi walang makain dito,’ sabi niya,” Maricris shared in a GMA News Online report.
Marjorie Ancheta, aged 30, was one of the three Filipinos who tragically lost their lives in the catastrophic flood. Maricris revealed the last conversation she had with her daughter before communication was cut off.
“Masakit dahil may anak siya, may kambal pa [na] one year and seven months old. Ang pakiusap lang namin sana mapadali ang pag-uwi niya kasi marami na kaming naghihintay sa kanya,” Maricris expressed, her pain palpable.
“Sana mapabilis na maiuwi dito,” Joey Ancheta, Marjorie’s father, added.
Marjorie had been working as a teacher in Dubai for a year, supporting her three children back in the Philippines. Her family is now in contact with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to expedite the repatriation of her remains.
OWWA has pledged assistance to the bereaved families of the three Filipinos who lost their lives in the Dubai flood, which occurred when a storm unleashed a year’s worth of rainfall in just a day on April 16, 2024.
