 Philippine Vice-President Jejomar Binay, fourth from left, and Ambassador Luis Cruz, right, pose with three Filipino workers who received medals of honor in a ceremony at the Philippine Embassy in Seoul. /Korea Times |
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Three Filipino workers were recently honored by the Philippine Embassy in Seoul for helping rescue a young Korean high school student from being raped, and apprehending the suspect.
Jomar Marco, Felix Jumarang and Jayson Ibarra received medals from Philippine Vice-President Jejomar Binay and Ambassador Luis Cruz in a ceremony at the embassy last week.
The three men were part of a group of Filipinos who work at a factory in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. On the evening of May 17, they heard a woman screaming outside the factory gates. When they went outside, they found a woman with a female high school student, in tears and with blood on her cheeks and bruises.
``The woman told us that the student was almost raped. Six of us started running outside to look for the Korean man who tried to rape the student. And we finally caught up with him, not far from where our factory was. The man tried to escape, but we managed to pin him down,’’ Marco told The Korea Times.
The woman had called the police station for help, and after 10 minutes, the police arrived to apprehend the suspect. Marco, Jumarang and Ibarra were also asked by the police to give statements.
``A week later, we were invited by the officials of Namyangju Police Station to receive a small reward. They thanked us for our brave actions,’’ Marco said.
The men did not expect to be given a reward, much less medals. They said they only did what anyone would have done to help someone in need.
During the ceremony, the Philippine Vice-President said the men’s actions were proof that Filipinos were good citizens in any country.
``What you have done is proof that Filipinos are naturally helpful and do not neglect their duties as citizens, no matter where they live and work,’’ Binay said.
At the same time, the embassy also recognized 11 Filipino community organizations for their donations to the victims of typhoons that hit their home country last year.
The Gasan Migrant Workers’ Center in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province was one of the groups recognized for its generous donation to the typhoon victims.
For the several months following the typhoons, around 150 to 200 workers who attend Sunday mass at the center would make small donations. The small donations totaled $2,000.
``The community raised the funds for the flood victims. It’s good that they still can share their blessings with the less fortunate,’’ Sr. Lucia C. Olalia, who works at the center, told The Korea Times.
Many Filipino workers earn often less than a million won a month, but they send much of the money back home for their families’ needs, such as food, housing and education.
The funds were sent through a religious congregation to help flood victims in La Union and Lingayen provinces in the northern Philippines. The funds were used for livelihood programs to help people get back on their feet.
Olalia also expressed gratitude to the Korean association of women major religious superiors, who raised over 30 million won for the typhoon victims. Every Friday, the members would skip one meal and donate the money allocated for that meal.
``We are also so grateful to the Korean association for their sacrifices and donation to the typhoon victims,’’ she said.
