The night before, the Fabian household had broken into tears of joy after learning that a family member trapped in a supermarket in quake-hit Haiti had been rescued. But their jubilation was shattered Saturday morning, when they learned that Grace Fabian's supposed rescue had been misreported. In an interview with GMA News, military spokesman Romeo Brawner Jr. said they received new information from Lt. Col. Lope Dagoy, commander of the 10th Philippine Contingent in Haiti, belying earlier reports that Fabian had been pulled out of the rubble. “Ms. Fabian has not yet been rescued. There had been some confusion,” apologized Brawner in a TV interview. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had announced Friday night that Fabian was the second Filipino to be rescued from the Caribbean Supermarket, which collapsed due to the 7.0 magnitude quake that hit Haiti Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). That was just hours before the same agency reported the rescue of Aurora Aguinaldo, another Filipina inside the supermarket when it gave way. GMANews.TV tried but failed to reach DFA spokesperson Ed Malaya for comment. A radio dzBB report earlier quoted the DFA as saying they got the news of Fabian's rescue from Grace's father, Arturo, himself. Asked by GMA News to react on DFA's claim, Arturo said he had learned about the supposed rescue from the news, prompting him to call up a certain “Judy Razon” from the DFA to confirm if the reports were correct. “She told me, ‘We haven't received any reports, the only name listed as rescued is Aurora Aguinaldo',” Arturo recounted. It was only on Saturday morning that the bad news would finally be confirmed by the military. “That's what hurts me most because I still read on TV that my daughter had already been rescued,” said Arturo. Arturo said that he was able to talk to his other child in Haiti Friday, who called him up to say that Grace remained trapped in the rubble. Arturo would learn later that night about the supposed rescue, leaving him and their other relatives hugely relieved. Now Arturo appeals to the government to exhaust all efforts to rescue his daughter and the six other Filipinos known to be trapped in the ruins. Arturo broke into tears while delivering his appeal. “I beg for your help. Your are parents too, just as I am,” he said. Brawner said, despite the misinformation, the government is helping in the search and rescue operations in Haiti. Apart from Grace, five other Filipinos are confirmed still trapped in a number of establishments in Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince. he missing Filipinos include Jerome Yap, Geraldine Lalican, Petty Officer 3 Pearly Panangui, Sergeant Janice Arocena, and Sergeant Eustacio Bermudez. Brawner said that backhoes and bulldozers have arrived at the United Nations peacekeeping headquarters at the Christopher Hotel to help dig out rubble for the trapped victims.
