According to Charito, his brother is a good person and he doesn’t deserve these injustices that he’s experiencing.
“Mabait na tao ang kapatid ko. Wala siyang bisyo, wala siyang kaaway. Gusto lang namin ng hustisya, (My brother is a good person. He doesn’t have any vice nor enemies. All we want is justice),” Charito said.
All the family wants is justice for Emy. And with the help of Migrante, they are positive that they will attain one.
The wake, minus the body
Migrante, together with Emy’s family and friends, trooped to the DFA last May 14 to hold a wake for Emy, but without his body.
Nephews and nieces of Emy Pepito join the rest of their family to call for justice for their uncle’s death(Photo by Juan Angelo Hongo/Bulatlat.com)
Complete with coffin and wreath, they marched from Roxas Boulevard to DFA while crying for the return of Emy’s body.
“Gusto namin malaman ng publiko kung anong nangyayari. Kung gaano nila pinahihirapan ang pamilya ni Emy sa paghihintay ng katawan. Iniipit nila ang pamilya ni Emy (We want the public to know what’s happening: how hard it is for the family to wait for Emy’s body),” Martinez said.
According to Migrante, all the family wants is to be able to pay their last respects to their loved one whose dreams in working abroad became a nightmare.
The funeral march is also their way of calling the attention of DFA Usec. for Migrant Workers Mr. Esteban Conejos.
Migrante, in their press release, stated that Conejos “has a track record of incompetence and wanton disregard to the plight of millions of Filipino migrant workers; cases of abuses – sexual, physical and mental – and numerous cases of jailed Filipino migrant workers on death row have tremendously increased in the absence of the Philippine government affirmative intervention.”
This is their plea after President Arroyo nominated Conejos as IOM Deputy Secretary general.
Last words, before turning him into the grave
The past six months was a difficult journey for the family of Emy. And as the months drag along, their longing for Emy will continue.
“Gusto lang naming siyang makasama ulit kahit sa huling sandali lang niya. Masabi lang namin na mahal na mahal namin siya,” (We just want to be with him before we lay him to rest. We just want to tell him that we love him so much) Charito said.
Lastly, if given a chance to speak to his brother, all Charito wants to know is what really happened. to find out the truth. It is only then would peace for both Emy and his bereaved family be with them.(Bulatlat.com)
