Porac folk mourn death of Cabalen in Glorietta 2 blast (Sun.Star, Wednesday, October 24, 2007)

Porac folk mourn death of Cabalen in Glorietta 2 blast

By Ian Ocampo Flora

PORAC -- Jeweller Liza Enriquez normally calls her siblings during national disasters, but that Friday afternoon, October 19, she failed to do an ordinary routine that sent her siblings scampering to the Manila.

As Sarah Enriquez-Talavera, her sister, heard of the Glorietta 2 bombing that left 11 dead and a hundred wounded, she began calling relatives.

"We were praying earnestly that she was not in the area during that blast. We were dialing her phone number but she was not answering," she narrated to Sun.Star Pampanga during her older sister's wake at St. Louie Funeral Holmes in Barangay Cangatba here.

"It was unusual of her, she would usually call us when similar disasters occur. But last Friday we heard nothing from her." Sarah added.

Liza was at Glorietta 2 with another sister on their way to I-Bank for an official business. At around noon, her other sister went off her way. Liza on the other hand, had a lunch date with a friend. At around 1:25 p.m., she sent a text message to her sister that she was at the area of Land Mark. It proved to be her last text message. At 3:00 p.m. her phone went silent.

"I do not understand why of the so many thousands and millions of people, why should it be my sister, she doesn't deserve such a death," teary-eyed Sarah said.

Sarah's other siblings went to Manila to look for the body. When they found the Glorietta area cordoned and restricted, they were directed to hospitals where the wounded and some of the dead were brought.

"My other siblings went from one hospital to another, they were hoping to see my sister alive," Sarah said.

Their relentless search brought them to Veronica Funeral Parlor. There, they found five victims who died in the blast. To their shock, one of them was Liza, who sustained a serious wound at the back of her head, which caused her instant death.

"We were devastated, we did not immediately tell our parents, but somehow we all have to face the truth," Sarah said.

Liza Enriquez just turned 49 last month. As the eldest, she was the family's bread winner.

Liza finished BS Commerce at Holy Angel University in Angeles City. She later joined a company to support her family. She retired soon after and began pursuing jewelry trading as a fallback source of income. She was at Glorietta on that unfortunate Friday to check on her items and to meet a friend.

Family members describe her as a supportive and a loving sister. "She loves to work and every time she earns big, she shares it with us," Sarah said.

Liza's body was interred Tuesday at the public cemetery here.

Despite what happened, the family is still optimistic that justice would be served to their sister.

"In as much that we feel pain, we are still hoping that authorities will be able to give justice to our sister. What happened is only a part of the past. Now we only hope that everything will come to order in the soonest possible time," Sarah said.