Pinay, husband in Paris: People fell like a wave

MANILA, Philippines - In what would turn out to be a fortuitous decision, Filipina Marilou Navales and her French husband, Thomas Rouxel, decided to transfer from their seats in front of the stage to the back of the Bataclan Theater on that fateful Friday the 13th in Paris.

As the couple settled down, they heard explosions, which they thought were fireworks and part of the program.

To their horror, the couple said they saw people in front of the stage falling down one by one “like a wave.” 

Rouxel told GMA News that they decided to run upstairs and go to the rooftop, “but there was no way to escape. We found a small room and we decided to stay there.”

They were among the lucky survivors of the worst terrorist attacks to hit France since World War II.

At least 129 people were killed in separate attacks across Paris.

Together with other people, Rouxel said he and his wife prayed while waiting for help.

The gunmen tried to open the room’s door.

Fortunately, the authorities started to arrive at the theater and the terrorists’ attention was diverted.

It took more than two hours for help to arrive, Rouxel recalled.  

Travel advisories

The Philippine embassy in Paris urged Filipinos in France to exercise vigilance and caution following the coordinated gun and suicide-bombing attacks across Paris that left more than 150 people dead and 352 injured.

The embassy issued an advisory asking Filipinos who are in Paris or who are planning to travel to France to monitor media and French government advisories for the latest developments. 

“Everyone is requested to exercise vigilance and caution and to be aware of their surroundings, with the view to ensuring their personal security,” the embassy said.

There are around 48,000 Filipinos in France.

The Philippines condemned the terrorist attacks in Paris.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said “there is no possible justification for such barbaric savagery.”

“The world must stand together against violent extremism,” the DFA said.

French President Francois Hollande declared a state of emergency in the wake of the attacks throughout Paris, including at the Bataclan theater, one of four venues attacked and where dozens of people were held hostage.

Hollande announced that he was restricting travel to France by closing all borders in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris. 

The French embassy in Manila said on Saturday that France has received messages of solidarity from all over the world after the attacks that claimed many lives and injured even more innocent people in Paris and its region.

The embassy said France is deeply touched by the heartfelt expressions of support in the Philippines extended by President Aquino, the national and local authorities, the Filipino people and all those from foreign embassies and groups who have been  expressing their sympathy to the French people. With Pia Lee Brago