Visayan expats in NZ to hold vigil for Blessie

The Visayan expatriate community in New Zealand will hold a prayer vigil to show its support to the family of Blesilda “Blessie” Gotingco who was abducted while on her way home from work and brutally killed in central Auckland.

In a statement, the Katilingbang Bisaya sa New Zealand (Society of Visayans in New Zealand) said the “People’s Prayer for Blessie Gotingco” will be held on Saturday, May 31 at 9 a.m. during the opening ceremony of the Lingawduwa – a sporting event organized to mark Philippine independence day – in Wakaaranga School in Auckland.

“Many of us feel the pain of the family in the sudden loss of a wife and a mother who worked tirelessly to provide them a better future,” said the statement signed by Mel B. Libre, president of the KBNZ.

“Many of us, her kababayans, were anxious on her disappearance on 24 May (Saturday), and prayed hard for a hopeful resolution, but the news on the finding (of) her lifeless body on 27 May (Tuesday) has brought both sadness and anger to all of us.”

Libre told Cebu Daily News that they will be meeting with the victim’s husband, Antonio, Thursday night.

He said Antonio was scheduled to attend a news conference and will meet with the funeral director before their meeting.

Libre said that like Gotingco, many of them moved to New Zealand “to pursue better lives for ourselves and our children, knowing that this country is generally peaceful and safe”.

“In a sense that belief has been partially shattered with the dastardly act committed against Blessie; the consolation being the swift conduct of the investigation and the eventual arrest of the person accused of the crime,” he added.

Gotingco, 56, and a mother of three, disappeared Saturday night while she was on her way home from work. Social media was abuzz in New Zealand alerting the public about her disappearance.

Her body was found in a cemetery Tuesday. The next day, a 27-year-old man was arrested and charged with murder. Authorities withheld the name of the suspect in accordance with New Zealand’s laws and was remanded to the custody of the court, a report from the Agence France Press wire service said.

The suspect is due to appear in court to face the charges on June 18.

Gotingco’s husband, Antonio, said the family was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support.

Antonio and Blessie were classmates in a primary school in Cebu City.