Sta. Fe, Cebu native among fatalities in collapsed Taiwan bridge was ‘kind, respectful, God-fearing’

This picture taken on October 1, 2019, shows the wreckage of a fishing boat after a bridge collapsed in the Nanfangao fish harbor in Suao township in Ilan county, eastern Taiwan. AFP

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Kind, respectful and God-fearing.

This was how Susan Escalicas Dela Cruz described her nephew, 29-year-old Romulo Ilustrisimo Escalicas Jr.,  in a phone interview with CDN Digital this Sunday, October 6, 2019.

Escalicas was the third Filipino who was found dead after their fishing boat was crashed by the Nanfang’ao Bridge in Yilan county in Taiwan that collapsed at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, October 1, 2019.

Escalicas was declared as one of those who went missing after the incident. He was found three days later during an underwater search and rescue operation.

Read more: DOLE: Another Filipino fisherman found dead in collapsed Taiwan bridge

Escalicas was originally from Barangay Kinatarkan, Santa Fe town on Bantayan Island in Cebu, where he studied until high school before moving with his family to Silag, Barangay Concepcion, Agutaya, Palawan, when he was about 20 years old to pursue fishing work.

Although the family transferred to Palawan, Dela cruz said they would occasionally go home to Santa Fe to celebrate fiestas and reunions.

The youngest of eight siblings, Escalicas was said to be the son that was the most obedient and helpful to his parents, Romulo Sr. and . It came as no surprise then that when a job opportunity came from a fishing company in Taiwan that paid higher than what he earned fishing on the family-owned fishing boat in Palawan, he took it.

Going abroad for a bigger pay was a preparation for his two children’s education, especially since his six-year-old son is about to enrol be in elementary while his three-year-old daughter still needs nutritional support for proper growth, said Dela Cruz.

Escalicas, according to Dela Cruz,  had been working in Taiwan for only about a year but had already been a great help to his family.

Prior to the incident, Dela Cruz shared that her brother, Romulo Escalicas Sr., was able to talk to his son through a video call where they discussed the donation that the younger Romulo would have given to their church in  Silag.

“Mao nay gi hilakan gyud sa iyahang papa sa akoa kay nabati pa niya ang tingog sa yang anak,” said Dela Cruz.

(His father cried to me over that last conversation he had with his son because he could still hear his voice in his head.)

On Saturday, October 5, 2019, Romulo Sr. and Romulo Jr.’s wife  arrived in Manila to await for the arrival of his remains on Thursday, October 10.

The expenses from the trips were all paid for by the government and President Rodrigo Duterte himself promised to give assistance to his family, as well, Dela Cruz revealed.

Dela Cruz said they would continue to mourn the loss of a young life treasured by his family and kin. /elb