Filipino mother not told of daughter's Tiananmen death
Play
Pacencia Camia, 83, was growing impatient over the broken television set at home. She was also starting to wonder why her doctor daughter, Rizalina Bunyi, had not called since leaving for China on Sunday along with her family.
Bunyi, 55, was one of five people killed when a speeding car ploughed through pedestrians on a sidewalk in Tiananmen Square in Beijing before bursting into flames on Monday in what Chinese authorities believe was a terrorist suicide attack.
“The TV is actually working, but we told her [it was not] so [she won’t hear] the news,” said Shirley Camia, a relative of the Camias.
Pacencia’s husband, Rodrigo, 83, said he would tell his wife he had hired workers to clean their compound should she inquire about the relatives and visitors coming in and out of the family residence in Bayan Luma IX village here.
Four other people died and dozens of others were injured in the Tiananmen Square crash, including Rizalina’s husband, paediatrician Nelson Bunyi, and daughters Francisca Ysabel, 23, and Mikaella, 21.
The Camias are trying to keep the news about Rizalina’s death from Pacencia, who has weak lungs, up to a day before the arrival of the body from China.
They have no idea when they can tell her the bad news.
The Bunyis were vacationing in Beijing and were supposed to return home yesterday in time for All Saints’ Day. The family has sought help from the government for the immediate repatriation of Rizalina’s remains, while Nelson, through relatives, has asked that he and his daughters be treated in the Philippines.
