ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Luzon devider Family mourns death of OFW killed in HK fire

Family mourns death of OFW killed in HK fire

Published Dec 2, 2025 11:13 am
JONES, Isabela – The parents of Maryan Pascual Esteban, 40, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was among those who perished in the massive Tai Po fire in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Nov. 26, are overwhelmed with grief as they mourn her tragic death.
In an emotional interview, her father, Jaime Esteban, said they still cannot accept that their daughter—who was scheduled to come home for a vacation this December—would instead be returning to the Philippines in a coffin.
He said the family has been unable to eat or sleep since learning about her death abroad.
Just two days before the blaze, on Nov. 24, her family was able to speak with Maryan.
She told them she would be arriving on Dec.16 and planned to travel to Cainta, Rizal.
Maryan reminded them to take care of their health so they could safely make the trip from Jones, Isabela to visit her. They did not know it would be their last conversation with her.
Her mother, Manayon, tearfully recalled the immense pain brought by the loss of their daughter, describing Maryan as exceptionally kind and caring—always providing both financial and moral support and frequently urging them to stay healthy.
Her family is appealing to the government for assistance to expedite the repatriation of her remains.
Maryan had long looked forward to coming home for Christmas to be with her family and her 10-year-old son.
The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong confirmed her death after previously reporting her missing. “Far from her native home, she had made innumerable sacrifices to provide a better life for her family. She leaves behind a 10-year-old son and her family in Cainta, Rizal,” the consulate said, offering its condolences to the Esteban family.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) described Maryan as a “heroine who died while taking care of her employer’s five-year-old daughter.”
The DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) assured her family that financial assistance would be extended and that her remains would be repatriated immediately.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan personally visited Maryan's son in Cainta.
She had been working in Hong Kong for four years when the massive fire swept through the high-rise residential complex.
Before moving to Hong Kong, she worked in Lebanon for 10 years. She was set to gain full custody of her son upon her homecoming.
The consulate general distributed relief goods and financial assistance to affected Filipinos and is assisting them in reconstructing documents lost in the blaze.
OWWA said Esteban’s son will receive educational assistance until he finishes college and encouraged him to pursue his studies as his mother would have wanted.

Related Tags

OFW Hong Kong Fire
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.