CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — On 22 December, Annabelle Maglente with five family members waved goodbye to neighbors in Phase 3 Greenville Subdivision in barangay Bogo this city as they left their house for a reunion and to celebrate Christmas, birthday and New Year in Polomolok, South Cotabato.

“Pupunta kami sa malayo.. (We are going faraway,) “bahala na kayo” sa Christmas and New Year party natin” Annabelle announced as she and her family boarded their L- 300 van early in the morning.

It proved to be a premonition. The family except for one will no longer return to their neighborhood to celebrate their yearly Yuletide and new celebrations.

The remains of the family arrived in this city Saturday and burial was set on New Year.

It included head of family Joel, 57, a mechanical engineer and former OFW; Joan, a psychologist and balikbayan from India; and Oliver, a graduating nursing student. They left their village excited for a Christmas reunion with relatives, birthday celebration of their father on 27 December and New Year’s gig.

Two minors later joined the group in Polomolok town.

At about 3 p.m. the following day, while on their way to a tourist spot in Tupe town, Oliver, who was driving, lost control of the wheel due to mechanical trouble, causing the L-300 van carrying them to veer towards the side of the highway and hit a tree.

Investigators from the Tupi Municipal Police Station reported that the collision was so strong that four of the passengers including Oliver were thrown out and landed on a rocky portion of the road causing tfatal injuries. Oliver, who was still strapped in the driver seat, survived the accident and was immediately transported to a hospital by emergency responders from the Tupi local government unit.

Dead on the spot

Police report identified the victims who died on the spot as Joel, the father, Annabelle, 52, Joan 28, Duke, Ike and two minors, Marga, 7 and Yuna 8 both from Polomolok South Cotabato.

For Estrella Patallinghod Estrada, best friend of Annabelle, the departure of the family was their final farewell. She immediately set a makeshift altar, lit candles in front of the gate of the locked house and organized a nightly vigil for the departed neighbors.

“They (Maglente family) were humble and kind. We gather every year to celebrate Christmas and New year together” she said in a radio interview.

Estrada said the eldest daughter, Joan, who married and lives in India, returned home and her Indian husband was scheduled to arrive in Polomolok to rejoin her. The father was to celebrate his 57th birthday during their vacation.

She said Joel, a mechanical engineer, has worked overseas for 10 years and has to retire for eye illness and the lone survivor Oliver helped his father in doing mechanical work in the village.