Nicolo’s Body Recovered, Car Found; Romulo Still Missing
I have a confirmed report from a Batangas Police Provincial Office source that as of 3:42 pm Manila Time (GMT +8) today, 3-year-old Nicolo Soriano‘s body was recovered near Tingloy, an island-municipality across the Batangas Bay, a linear distance of about 15 miles (about 25 kilometers) from the site of the collapsed bridge and 32 hours after the incident. His remains is now at the San Fernando Funeral Homes in Batangas City.
Meanwhile, their white Honda Civic car was found underwater near RK Village, a few hundred meters from the disaster site, and search and recovery operations continue for the missing Romulo Soriano.
Maria Lourdes Romulo Soriano or Malou, the survivor, is still confined at Saint Patrick’s Hospital in Batangas City. According to the same source, Malou was heard crying for help by one Lolit Cos as she was floating among the flood flotsam near Wawa, a seaside community in the city. She then sought the help of a Badjao (known for their swimming and sea-fearing abilities) whose name’s phonetic spelling (he couldn’t spell) is Karsani Bartapa to retrieve her from the raging water.
There is also an unconfirmed account that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) did an inspection of the bridge a week prior to the collapse and found it to be structurally sound.
So many questions, so few answers.
But kudos to Karsani and the tireless, nameless Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine National Police rescuers and other volunteers. They are our heroes. [d]*
Written by nealm
1 November 2009 at 9:50 AM
Posted in Philippines
Tagged with batangas, bridge of promise, disaster, karsani bartapa, philippine coast guard, philippine national police, santi, typhoons, videos
12 Responses
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[ the digitizer ]* 
salamat sa update, digitizer. sana update mo pa hanggang makausap si Malou para malaman natin kung paano nangyari yun.
Mark
1 November 2009 at 10:28 PM
i don’t know her personally but i have received a few messages asking me to extend their condolences to her. gusto ko rin talagang magbigay ng respect kay romulo at nicolo. what a great father romulo was! he was already safe but opted to rescue his son on his own.
the digitizer
2 November 2009 at 6:16 AM
you’re welcome, mark. i hope to pay my respect to both romulo and nicolo soon, and hope to extend to malou everyone’s love and prayers. when that happens, you will know about it here.
the digitizer
3 November 2009 at 11:54 AM
Send our Condolonces to Soriano’s Family….
from All Batanguenos
Catchme
3 November 2009 at 5:56 AM
i will when i get the chance to be at the wake. however, i have contacted romulo’s cousin and sent her all the links from all of you guys and she is grateful for everybody’s concern, prayers and condolences.
the digitizer
3 November 2009 at 11:41 AM
They found the body of Romulo Soriano on the shore of Barangay Sta. Clara Ilaya at about 5 a.m. Monday.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20091102-233622/Missing-man-son-found-after-Batangas-bridge-collapse
Nakakalungkot talaga itong balitang ito. I hope makarecover agad si Malou.
Keep us updated, digitizer. Thanks!
splotter
3 November 2009 at 8:26 AM
thanks for the link, darnell. i shall post updates and related issues whenever i can. last time i’ve heard malou is recovering now.
the digitizer
3 November 2009 at 11:40 AM
HEAVY TRAFFIC!!!
Nakakainip! Mainit ang pakiramdam… Ganito na ang pakiramdam ng galing sa Eternal Garden noong dumalaw kami sa puntod ng nasira naming Ama.
Pagsapit namin sa bayan ganito pa rin!!!
Sa hinaba – haba ng traffic sa kabayanan papuntang plaza at simbahan, nag-overheat ang kotse kong sinasakyan. Nataranta kami kong saan ba kami hihinto, lingon dito lingon doon, para magpalamig ng makina…….. “Nakuuuu malapit na sa pulang guhit ang temperature gauge. Patayin mo muna ang makina!”……… Nangamba kami na baka tumirik ang kotse at magcause lalo ng traffic.
Nasa may 7 -Eleven pa lang kami tumataas pa rin ang temperature gauge. Balak naming huminto sa may simbahan ang kaso walang movement na nangyayari sa haba ng traffik. Hanggang sa dumating kami sa tapat ng Church. Kaya pala lalong matraffic kasi may aksidente, Nagkasabitan ang dalawang sasakyan sanhi ng traffic. Traffic na naging dahilan pa ng traffic ang traffic. Ano ba yan!!! HEAVY TALAGA ANG TRAFFIC.
Ang lahat halos ng sasakyan dito na ngayon dumadaan sa bagong tulay. Teka…. Alam nyo ang name ng bagong tulay? Ano nga ba? Kasi yung lumang tulay Bridge of Promise, ano naman kaya itong bagong tulay na para bagang sya ngayong shock absorber……huh!
Mr. Digitizer alam mo ba?
Catchme
4 November 2009 at 4:53 AM
ate negs….our deepest condolences… may God gave u enough strength and courage to face and fight the biggest challenge in ur life… just hang on …don’t give up… marami kaming nagmamahal sau… god bless… our loved n prayers…
geraldine
4 November 2009 at 12:29 PM
PARENG ROMULO SORIANO … PAALAM..
As we became adults and parents , we moved away from Brgy Bilogo, Batangas City. However we still kept in touch with each other..
Bago mag celebrate si Pareng Romulo Soriano ng Birthday noon NOvember 1, hindi inaasahang nagkaroon ng trahedya,nakahanda na ang paborito nating kalderetang kambing ..dahil seaman by profession, nag babakasyon lang pero sa tubig din mamaalam.sasakay uli sa barko ngayong november 14 pero ngayong November 8 siya ililibing. kahit masakit sa aming mga kakumparehan…sa pamilya at sa lahat na mga kaibigan ..hindi ka namin kalilimutan ..
Friendship that last longest are the ones with the deepest roots. THose are the ones that mature into brotherhood.A symbol of our childhood together, something never to be replaced. thanks for the space brod.
Ronald Delica
4 November 2009 at 1:25 PM
Sana maprusahan ang mga walang pusong taga DPWH at CEO Batangas City. Mga tamad sila at palamunin lang ng gobyerno ni GLORIA. Kung nag inspect muna kayo ng mga tulay bago dumating ang Super Typhoon na ito di sana walang naghihirap ang kalooban ngayon dahil nawalan ng anak, asawa at nawala ang isang maligayang pamilya. SANA… sa mga nagpabaya…WAG NYO SANANG MARANASAN ANG NARANASAN NG PAMILYA SORIANO!!!SUMALANGIT NAWA ANG KALULUWA NYO ROMULO AT NICO.
TORYA
5 November 2009 at 11:24 AM
hi, I’m a friend of the soriano family. my fiance, edu abalos, is a first cousin of romulo soriano. i would like to clear up some things about this article and the other one before it.
1. kuya mulo (romulo soriano) and his family weren’t on their way to manila. he was driving ate malou to the provincial hall where she was expected to report together with her colleagues at work in p.h.o. they were assigned to go to balayan to give assistance to the typhoon victims there.
2. mayor dimacuha was at the site just after the bridge collapsed.
3. lolit cos or whoever she is wasn’t the one who found ate malou. the badjaos found her and rescued her on their own.
4. the praise for the coast guard is an exaggeration. the family had to go to them, use connections, and suffer numerous delays before help was given to them.
*** searching for kuya mulo and nico was primarily a family effort. lives were at stake, but the government never made them feel that searching for kuya mulo and nico was of utmost importance and a priority. the family had to rent boats and even borrow a private speedboat from ppa (through the effort of kuya mulo’s aunt who works for coa-ppa). when nico was found in tingloy, the male relatives on board the borrowed speedboat from ppa brought the body to ppa batangas. while the other relatives were waiting, a police officer approached them. he went and said how the pnp found a boat and escorted the body of nico from tingloy to batangas city. it was an outright lie. the aunt who personally borrowed the speedboat from ppa told him, “you’re mistaken, i borrowed the boat from ppa, not you. my nephews are the ones bringing the body from tingloy, not you.”
*** although ate malou was a government employee, and the reason the family left the house that morning in the first place is to drive her to work (on a saturday, if i might add), we never felt the help of the government. vice governor leviste went to wawa and the hospital to visit ate malou, his promise that they will help in searching for kuya mulo and nico were nothing but empty words. he specifically said that certain government agencies have been put on alert. however, when the family went to mabini because of an unofficial report, from a friend, of a body found there, they were surprised and disappointed upon their arrival that the coast guard and barangay officials were not aware of the situation. the barangays near the coast should have been informed since kuya mulo and nico might have been anywhere. governor vilma santos went to the home of the soriano family after the burial. when asked where she was during the ordeal, she said the bridge was not within the durisdiction of her office.
*** it is frightening that trying times like the one that happened is a continuing manifestation of how our government can not be relied on.
Lovely Aseron
13 November 2009 at 2:41 AM