‘Please take care of my children’
The night before she died in a car crash, Dulce Quintans-Saguisag told
“Nagbilin siya sa akin na alagaan ang mga bata at huwag kalimutan bigyan ng gamot si Caissa (She asked me to always look after her children, and not to forget to give medicines to Caissa),”
Dulce, wife of former Sen. Rene Saguisag – who is recovering from serious injuries at the
“My mom was really concerned about my medications,” said Caissa, 15. A gymnast, she is due to compete on Dec. 6 in
On Nov. 4, the Sunday before her death and three days after All Saints’ Day, Dulce also paid a visit to her mother’s grave at the
According to her niece Carol, they all wondered who would be laid to rest next at the plot, since there was space for only one more.
“You see my grandfather Alfonso is in the Libingan ng mga Bayani,” pointed out Carol. Dulce also commented during her visit that she had the plot prepared during her bout with breast cancer some 10 years ago. But it was not yet her time, for she survived that life-threatening battle.
According to Carol, Dulce also said that it seemed more fitting to visit her parents’ graves on Nov. 1, when cemeteries are all spruced up for visitors.
“Next year, she promised to visit on Nov. 1,” added Carol.
Dulce, described by Carol as the glue that kept the clan together, will be buried next Friday, Nov. 16, at that very plot at the
Rene, driver improving
Meanwhile, the condition of Rene Saguisag continues to improve, his attending doctors at the Makati Medical Center (MMC) said yesterday.
Saguisag, his wife Dulce and two others figured in a vehicular accident in
Saguisag was seriously injured while Dulce died on the way to the hospital. Their driver Felipe Calvario was also seriously wounded. Another passenger, dance instructor Rhea Imelda Obong, was discharged the same day after she was given treatment for minor injuries.
Dr. Eric Nubla, spokesman of the MMC, said, “Attorney Saguisag continues to respond well to the treatments given to him. His breathing is okay. He is communicating more.”
“We are optimistic that his condition will continue to improve as days go by,” Nubla added.
Nubla said Saguisag is already able to write notes. “There is a reason to become more optimistic of his (Saguisag’s) condition.”
He added that the former senator’s fractured ribs are starting to heal and that it may take four to six weeks for the fracture to completely get well.
Even Calvario’s condition is also improving. “He has also been responding to the treatments very well,” Nubla said.
Though Saguisag’s medical condition has improved, his close friend Sen. Joker Arroyo is concerned about how the former senator will react to news of his wife’s death.
“Well he is stable but not yet pronounced safe yet by his doctors,” Arroyo told The STAR.
Relatives said that though Saguisag writes notes on a pad to communicate with those around him, he hasn’t asked about Dulce.
“Maybe it could be his way of avoiding the painful truth,” a source close to the family said.
Arroyo respects the family’s decision not to inform the former senator about his wife’s death. “This will break (Rene’s) heart,” he said.
Arroyo described Rene as a “very devoted husband.”
The senator also paid tribute to how Dulce raised their children. “Rene is one person who is not emboldened by money. His children have been raised and trained by their mother to fend for their own. They have learned to work,” Arroyo said.
Arroyo and Saguisag’s friendship dates back to the martial law years when they fought the dictatorship of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.
‘I will love her forever’
Dulce’s younger sister Alma Kern said that Rene and Dulce loved each other very much. They met in
Dulce liked his wit and that he was a very frank person.
Saguisag went home to
“Dulce always tells us how Rene proposed to her. He said, ‘I am poor. I come from a very poor family, I have no money, and I have no belongings so I don’t want to marry a rich girl. So tell me now, are you rich?’ And Dulce said, ‘I’m not rich’,” Kern related.
To his mother-in-law, Saguisag reportedly said, “I cannot offer much to your daughter but I will take good care of her and I will love her the rest of my life.”
Both Saguisag and Calvario are still confined at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital. Nubla said they would be assessing the condition of both patients over the weekend if they can soon be transferred to regular rooms.
Police investigators said the four victims were on their way home to
Truck driver Manuel Geronimo claimed that he had right of way as the green light was on at the intersection when he rammed the van of the Saguisags.
Witnesses, however, disputed Geronimo’s claims and said the
‘Don’t be late’
Dance instructor Rhea Obong says the last thing she remembered before the crash was turning her face to the back seat of the van where Dulce was seated.
“Her last words to me, were, ‘Don’t be late. We will pick you up at 8.30 for Erap’s party,’” Rhea told The STAR during Dulce’s wake. Rhea said that is why her bruises are on the left side of her face.
The Saguisags were supposed to perform a dance number during the party at the home of former president Joseph Estrada, whom Rene defended in his plunder trial.
“I turned to her to say ‘Opo, Ma’am’ then suddenly, I blacked out. The next I remember was cold water being poured on my face to revive me,” Obong told The STAR.
She said she didn’t see Dulce breathe her last, but assured relatives of Dulce that she was not moaning in pain before she died.
Obong said a fellow dance instructor named Lani, who was in a car that was following the van, “ang nakakita ng huling hininga ni Ma’am (was the one who was with Dulce when she breathed her last).”
The Saguisag children and Dulce’s brothers and sisters request that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Gymnastics Association of the
The funeral Mass, which would held at the St. Scholastica’s College (SSC) chapel at
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