• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The family of missing Negrense caregiver Loreta Villarin Alacre, who was among the party revelers attending the Supernova Music Festival outside the Re’im Kibbutz, near the Gaza Strip, is pleading with the government to exert more effort in locating her.
Annabella Alacre, in a phone interview, said her younger sister, Loreta, 49, who had been working as a caregiver for 15 years in Haifa and Tel Aviv, Israel, remains unreachable as of this time, after Hamas fighters attacked the music festival site that she and her fellow caregivers were attending on October 9.
A day before she went missing, Annabella said they were able to contact her sister, who was enjoying a day off with her friends, attending a music festival near the boundary of the Gaza Strip.
Anabella disclosed that there were unconfirmed reports that she was among the captives taken by Hamas militants.
Noam Solomon, the employer of Loreta, has already posted on her social media account regarding the case of her missing caregiver.
Solomon, in her Facebook account, described “Lori”, as she called her, a dedicated caregiver, for six years now.
Loreta is a resident of Sitio Camay-an, Brgy. Cadiz Viejo, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.
In a statement, the Department of Migrant Workers, the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel and the Migrant Workers Office Israel said they are closely monitoring the situation of Filipinos in affected areas in the wake of the “State of War alert” issued by Israel’s Home Front Command.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that two Filipinos were killed amid the fierce fighting between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
In a statement, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. also condemned the killings and said the Philippines “stands firmly against the ongoing terror and violence.”
Three Filipinos remain missing, while 26 have been rescued by Israeli security forces.
An estimated 150 Filipinos are reportedly residing in Gaza.
Filipino workers in Israel and their families can contact the DMW’s hotline +63 2 1348 or the following WhatsApp and Viber numbers: +63 9083268344, +63 9271478186 or +63 9205171059 for emergencies.
The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv is available at +972-54-4661188 or +972-50-911-4017 for further assistance.*
