LIMAY, Bataan- The family here of the wounded overseas Filipino worker in a gas plant in the Algerian desert on Saturday finally felt relieved that he is safe and scheduled to fly back to the Philippines by Monday or anytime next week.
“Nakausap ko kanina lang 2:44 a.m. ang aking asawa mula sa isang London (England) hospital na siya’y ayos na at uuwi na sa Pilipinas ano mang araw,” said Yrish Balmaceda of Barangay Reformista here.
Her husband, Joseph “Jojo” Balmaceda, 42, is an instrument technician of British Petroleum and has been working in the Algerian gas plant for seven years. A few days after he arrived in Algeria from a recent vacation in Bataan, the gas plant was attacked.
She said her husband will take a London-Dubai flight and from Dubai to the Philippines.
“Papa, mis na mis na kita. Ingat ka lang diyan. I love you,” said Anjela Louise Balmaceda, 8-year-old daughter of the couple.
Yrish said her husband arrived in Bataan for a vacation last November 15, 2012 and returned for work in Algeria January 13, 2013.
“Nang mapanood ko sa TV na nilusob ang kanilang gas plant, hindi na ko mapakali at kinakabahan. Natahimik lang ako nang tumawag siya gabi ng January 17 na siya’y nasa isang ospital at ligtas na,” the wife said.
She said her husband did not give her the details on what happened, merely saying he regained consciousness already in a hospital.
Yrish thanked the Moody agency in Qatar of her husband and GMA 7 for helping her. “Since Thursday hanggang Friday panay ang tawag ng GMA 7 sa akin kaya malaking pasasalamat ko sa kanila,” she said.
