The remains of one of the 2- missing Ilonggo nurses trapped in a collapsed building in February 22, 2011 earthquake in Christchurch City in New Zealand has been identified.
Valquin Bensurto from Jaro District in Iloilo City is the body recovered. A 23-year old was identified among those recovered from the collapsed ‘Canterbury Television’ (CTV) Building.
Bensurto’s elder sister ‘Ronisa Bensurto-Agraviador’ told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a telephone interview on Wednesday.
“With the help of his dental and medical records and DNA samples taken from their father-Rodolfo, who was in ‘New Zealand’, was the reason to identify her brother,” said Agraviador.
“It’s very painful for us but we have accepted his fate, we leave it to Him,” said Agraviador.
Despite his tragic fate, we believed that my brother was happy when he went to New Zealand last February because that was his ambition and desire to work there, said Agraviador.
“We will love him always even he perished because he was a good brother and son,” said Agraviador.
Bensurto was the only boy and the youngest among three siblings.
One remained missing was his very close friend and cl(–foul word(s) removed–)mate in college at the ‘St. Paul University’ in Iloilo City, ‘Mary Louise Amantillo’, who is from the Town of Balasan in Iloilo.
The two were among the Filipino nurses who were taking language lesson at the ‘CTV Building’ as a part of requirement for their employment. The two left for New Zealand on February 12 to work as nurses.
The authorities of New Zealand had said earlier that all those remained missing were presumed dead after they stopped the rescue operations.
The family of Bensurto still did not know when the remains of her brother’s would arrive in Iloilo because of slow processing of documents and other requirements which was done by his father.