Marcos makes ‘toughest call’ to families of slain OFWs

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. spoke to the families of Filipinos killed in the Hamas attack in Israel on Wednesday night and vowed to provide them with the help they needed.

“Last night, I made two of the most difficult phone calls I’ve had to make as President. The nation is one in grieving with the families of the Filipinos who were killed in the attacks on Israel,” President Marcos said in a social media post on Thursday.

“We will provide the utmost support to the families they were taken from,” Mr. Marcos said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed two Filipino fatalities from the massive attack on Israel on Saturday. They have been identified as Angelyn Aguirre, 32, from Pangasinan, and Paul Vincent Castelvi, 42, from Pampanga, both of them caregivers.

An Israeli official extolled the bravery and heroism of Aguirre, who showed “unbelievable humanity” when she chose to stay with her employer.

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, the deputy mayor of Jerusalem, said Aguirre had the chance to flee during the attack but showed “loyalty by remaining at Nira’s side during the violence, resulting in both of them being… murdered by Hamas,” Nahoum said, referring to Aguirre’s employer.

The DFA said Aguirre had worked in Israel as a caregiver for six years, caring for her elderly patient, Nira, on kibbutz Kfar Gaza.

Nahoum said Aguirre showed “unimaginable honor in the face of evil.”

In a Facebook post, Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss expressed his condolences to Aguirre’s family, whom he described as a hero who sacrificed her life to be with and protect her patient.

“Angeline is another victim of the brutal attack of the Hamas terror organization,” Fluss said.

Castelvi, who was to become a first-time father when his wife gives birth later this year, was killed in a bomb shelter.

His parents Nick and Lilina told ABS-CBN their son was supposed to visit the Philippines in December for the first time since he started working in Israel five years ago.

“He was really the only one supporting us and his siblings, his nieces and nephews,” Nick Catelvi said in Filipino. “If only he were given a chance, what he really wanted was for us to have a good life.”

Before working in Israel, Paul Vincent worked as a caregiver in Saudi Arabia for 10 years.

Lilina said Paul Vincent was still in touch with his wife when he and his companions took shelter from a barrage of rockets.

“That was the last conversation they had, that’s when he said they were already there in the bomb shelter. Then someone was knocking on the door of the shelter…that was 9:30 in the morning, that was their last conversation,” his mother said in Filipino.

On Tuesday, Paul Vincent’s wife informed his family in San Fernando, Pampanga of his killing.

“God forgive me, I said, ‘Why is that, why did you take him from me?” Lilina said.

In the wake of Saturday’s bloody attack and Israel’s swift response, many foreign nationals—including Filipinos—are stranded in Gaza, which is now under a complete blockade.

Israel on Thursday said it was too early to talk about opening a humanitarian corridor for foreign nationals wanting to leave Gaza.

Esty Buzgan, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Israeli Embassy in Manila, said the Israeli government is “not talking about” that yet while the war with Hamas rages.

“But there are other options to leave the Gaza Strip via Egypt. That’s currently another possibility,” Buzgan said in a press conference.

“It needs to be coordinated with them, of course,” she added.

The border of Gaza with Israel is sealed off, while its border with Egypt in Rafah was bombed by Israeli forces. That is preventing the Philippine government from repatriating the 70 Filipinos in Gaza who wanted to leave.

Buzgan said there are no plans to remove blockades as this would open the country to “more terrorists.”

Buzgan also said the Israeli government still has no idea where the hostages taken by Hamas to Gaza are.

She was also unable to confirm a report that a Filipino was abducted after his wife supposedly saw him in one of the videos circulating on social media.

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