Body of Pinoy in US oil rig blast found; toll now 3

WASHINGTON D.C. — The body of the Filipino worker, who had been missing since the Nov. 16 oil rig explosion in Louisiana, had been found, bringing the death toll of Philippine nationals killed in the accident to three.
This was disclosed by the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. as it identified the body as that of Jerome Malagapo, from Danao City in Cebu.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that we lost our compatriot, Jerome Malagapo,” Philippine Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia said after he was informed by the Coroner’s Office of La Fourche Parish that the remains belonged to the 28-year-old fitter from Danao City, Cebu.
“We console ourselves with the thought that Jerome has been found and will be reunited with his loved ones,” Ambassador Cuisia said who flew to New Orleans, Louisiana to check on the workers and condole with the families of the fatalities at their necrological services.
Malagapo’s wife, Joanne, his father Francisco and other members of his family have been informed by Cuisia of the positive identification made based on dental records submitted on Tuesday night from the Philippines.
Cuisia said the embassy was informed of the recovery of Malagapo’s body as early as Monday but decided not to release any information until the remains were positively identified.
 Malagapo’s body was spotted near an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, about 20 miles from the ill-fated platform that he and eight other Filipinos were working on at the time of the incident, PNA reported.
Authorities were initially planning to take DNA samples from his father, also an offshore oil worker in Louisiana, to identify Malagapo’s body but Philippine consular officials recommended that dental records be submitted itself, Cuisia said.
The recovery of Malagapo came three days after fellow worker Avelino Tajonera, a 49-year-old welder from Bataan, died as a result of complications from the serious burns he sustained in the incident, the PNA reported.
Another Filipino, Ellroy Corporal, a 42-year-old rigger from Iligan City, also died in the incident.
Corporal’s remains were flown to the Philippines last week. Tajonera’s remains were to be cremated and the ashes flown back to Manila.
Two other workers remain in critical condition at the Regional Burn Unit of the Baton Rouge General Hospital while the condition of another, Wilberto Ilagan, a 50-year-old welder from Batangas, continues to improve.
Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim of the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago said the government continues to assist the families of the workers who arrived from the Philippines last week.
He said Deputy Consul General Orontes Castro Jr. and Welfare Officer Saul de Vries are in constant coordination with hospital officials, the employer D&R Resources and the contractor Grand Isle Shipyard Inc.
Cuisia flew to New Orleans on Tuesday to personally extend his condolences to the families of the three fatalities. In his meetings, the envoy assured them and the families of the three injured workers that they could count on government assistance.