CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand - It has been 10 days since the deadly February 22 quake struck and no word has yet surfaced on the fate of 11 Filipinos trapped in the rubble of the CTV building in Christchuch, New Zealand.
It is only prolonging the agony of their families who travelled to New Zealand.
One of them is Leila Agatep-Garcia, sister of Lalaine Agatep, who was among those at the Kings Education Ltd. building's second floor when it collapsed.
It was only Lalaine's second day of English classes at the third floor of the CTV building. She wanted to be licensed as a registered nurse from instead of just being an enrolled nurse.
It's the second trip to Christchurch for Leila and her husband James, being residents of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.
"Nasa school po ako, siya nasa bahay nagbabantay ng mga bata," Leila said, when asked how they learned about the disaster.
"Nandito ako kung kailangan niya ako palagi, at saka hindi niya kaya mag-isa kasi," he said.
Lalaine is the eldest in the family, and has worked all over the world to put her sisters through school.
"Tinutulungan niya po kaming mag-asawa," she said, in between sobs.
'Traumatic'
Richard Francis Tan, a part-time caregiver, meanwhile said he has friends among those still inside the collapsed 7-storey building.
"Devastating po iyong nangyari sa amin. Traumatic masyado," said Tan.
Despite this, Richard said he will stay put in New Zealand to pursue his dreams of a better future.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) currently has a team in the city to help the families of the victims.
The team, led by Consul General Marco Punsalang, said their priority is to help the victims' families cope with the disaster.
"To get the identification of the remains of these Filipinos, that's the priority now, because for obvious reasons, the relatives are frantic. The relatives back home and even here, they really want to identify the remains, at least there's some closure," Punsalang said.
Representatives of families for 5 of the victims are in the city.
Struggle to rebuild
The CTV site, "ground zero" of the disaster, is heavily guarded by police. Civilians are not permitted to go near, but families of the victims are permitted to go near the site.
Family members of 5 victims have arrived in Christchurch, and they were given the chance to offer flowers at a park close to the CTV ruins to help ease the pain of waiting.
Police liaison officers are assigned to the families of the victims, who update them about the recovery efforts.
Meanwhile, residents are slowly trying to pick up the pieces in Christchurch, but it make take some time before life returns to normal.
In the middle of the city, temporary shelters have mushroomed in Hagley Park for residents who lost their homes.
For Filipino workers here, the earthquake shattered not only their homes, but also their families' dreams.
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