11 August 2004 – Secretary of Foreign Affairs Delia Domingo-Albert thanked  the Israeli Government for the support given to the victims and families of  suicide bombers and for the honor given to a Filipina worker who was killed  in a suicide bombing in Israel last year.  “I join the entire nation and  Filipino workers all over the world in remembering Maria Antonia S. Rafales  who paid the ultimate price in a distant land while seeking a better life for  her family and loved ones back here in the Philippines.  Hers is a testament  to the indomitable Filipino spirit,” Secretary Albert said.  “I am glad that  she was also honored and memorialized in a ceremony in Jerusalem this week.   This should be a fitting tribute to her as a modern day hero,” the Secretary added.

Antonia and 20 others who died in a suicide bombing were honored on 08 August  by the city of Jerusalem.  Her name, along with those of the other victims  were engraved in Hebrew on a polished bronze plaque placed on a Synagogue  wall right along Shmuel Hanavie Street, where a Palestinian exploded bombs  strapped to his body inside a bus on 19 August 2003.

Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski invited Philippine Ambassador to Israel  Antonio C. Modena to join him in the unveiling of the memorial plaque.  The  unveiling rites were preceded by a Jewish religious service attended by  relatives of the victims and members of the city council, and the Knesset,  Israel’s legislature.  Ambassador Modena informed the Secretary that during  the service, a deeply moving and emotional Kadesh, the Jewish prayer for the  dead, was sung for Antonia and the others by Rabbi David Klatskin.

Among those killed, were four babies, three teenagers and 14 adults  (including Antonia) and the suicide bomber, while over 100 other people,  including bus passengers and bystanders were seriously injured.  Some of the  survivors, many of them maimed for life, attended the unveiling ceremonies.

Rafales, a native of Bais City, Negros Oriental, was on her way to her second  job as a babysitter, when she had the misfortune to ride the ill-fated bus.   She was not immediately identified, as the blast that ripped the bus was so  strong.  Israeli forensic investigators had to ask for personal belongings to  positively identify Antonia through DNA testing.

Antonia is not the only Filipino to have died in Israel.  She is actually the  fourth to have been killed, while 14 other Filipinos have been injured in  separate suicide bombings in Israel from 2001 to 2003.

Ambassador Modena also informed Secretary Albert that document and  undocumented or illegal workers who are killed or injured due to terrorism in  Israel are entitled to government assistance including free hospitalization and rehabilitation.  The Israeli government also pays for the shipment back home of the remains of foreign workers who are killed by acts of terrorism.

Secretary Albert thanked the Israeli government for these good auspices and  encouraged Filipino workers in Israel to pass through official channels and  documentation procedures.  “In this light, I wish to thank the Israeli  government for the assistance it extends to foreign workers, including Filipinos who are guests in their land.  I also wish to reiterate our call to  Filipinos who wish to work abroad, not to do so through illegal channels. Documented workers are better protected and have enhanced access to benefits and assistance from both the host and the Philippine governments.  Nevertheless, the Philippine government and the Foreign Service are committed to helping Filipinos all over the world whether documented or illegal,” the Secretary said. END.