MANILA — A family has been reunited after the second batch of Filipino repatriates from Turkey was flown back to Manila over a month since it was struck by an earthquake.
Many of the 24 repatriates in the second batch are naturalized mothers and children with fathers who remained in Turkey to rebuild after the quake, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
Paulina Milad Erdal, who has not been back to the Philippines in over 30 years, was repatriated home from Gaziantep after she lost her home in the quake.
She arrived in Manila with two of her three sons from her Turkish husband, who died of cancer a year ago.
Erdal and her children still plan to return to Turkey within the year. Her second son remained there to work.
“Kasi po mga anak ko doon lumaki at doon po sila magtatrabaho, e hindi sila masasanay sa Pilipinas… Kailangan po bumalik dahil doon sila talaga.”
Not only Filipinos flew from Turkey after the quake.
Filipina Mariza Osaka hugged her Turkish husband Berat Guney as he came out the NAIA3 arrival lobby.
She said he sold his land property there to be able to fly to the Philippines after she urged him to stay here for now.