DUBAI // What was supposed to be a joyous family reunion will now be a mournful gathering for the family of Dubai resident Ron Pabellon, whose aunt, uncle and two cousins were killed in the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disaster.
Mr Pabellon, 22, a baker from the Philippines, received the tragic news through Facebook around 2am on Thursday. After seeing a post announcing that a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur had been downed over Ukraine, Mr Pabellon felt a chill in his stomach. He knew his relatives had booked a flight on Malaysia Airlines from Amsterdam to Manila with a layover in Kuala Lumpur, but he prayed this wasn’t the one. “And then I’m just worried,” said Mr Pabellon, who moved to Dubai last year.
He began to frantically send text messages to his missing family members.
“I message my relatives, ‘Derryl, Derryl are you there? Sherryl, where are you? Tita [aunt] where are you, I am worried. Tito [uncle] Budy, where are you now? Then no one will answer. And then my feeling is bad that day.”
Mr Pabellon’s aunt Irene Gunawan, uncle Budy Gunawan, cousins Darryl Dwight Gunawan, 20, and Sherryl Gunawan, 15, had been killed along with 294 other crew and passengers aboard the ill-fated flight. The family had been living in Amsterdam for more than 18 years, said Mr Pabellon.
They regularly flew back to the Philippines for the annual family reunion, a long-standing tradition in the Pabellon-Gunawan clan.
He knew they always took that route because Mr Gunawan was an employee of the airline and the family received a travel discount.
As Mr Pabellon held out hope his relatives had been on another flight, he contacted Derryl’s girlfriend for confirmation.
“I saw on Facebook she was online and then I will ask, ‘Hey, my name is Ron, Derryl’s cousin, do you know where is Derryl?’ And then she said that, ‘Yes, I’m just waiting for a miracle.’ Then I say, ‘’For what? Miracle for what?’ And then she said that Derryl was on the plane crash together with Irene, Budy and Sherryl,” said Mr Pabellon, his soft voice breaking.
The Gunawans had been a close-knit, musical family. Irene once played the drums in a band in Japan, where she met Budy, a guitar player. Derryl Dwight had been a club DJ and producer who owned his own company called Dwight Media, according to his Facebook page. Sherryl was a dancer.
“There is not a moment that goes by that I do not think about you, dear Sherryl Shania Gunawan,” Facebook user Lien van Niele wrote on Sherryl’s wall. “I still cannot believe we are not going to see your sweet smile anymore. We’re going to miss you so much.”
Mr Pabellon said the Gunawans were known for being selfless and supportive of their relatives in the Philippines.
“They are so kind, they are only one to help in Philippines, their relatives in the Philippines,” said Mr Pabellon. “Actually, my family, we have received their help.”
When Mr Pabellon’s parents fell onto hard times, Irene and Budy supported them financially, going as far as helping to pay school fees for Mr Pabellon’s two siblings, who went on to become a teacher and engineer. They also bought his father, Pirso Pabellon, a welding machine to help him earn money.
Mr Pabellon, like many around the world, is still struggling to understand how anyone could shoot down a passenger plane carrying innocent people.
“I want to know what happened, who did that to that plane,” said Mr Pabellon. “They are all innocent there. I want to know who will be responsible for that. It’s very hard to us to take this because it’s very difficult. It’s not only my auntie, it’s not only my uncle, it’s my family. We are very close to each other. We didn’t expect for this, it’s very hard. In one time, all of them will be gone. It’s very shocking,” he said.
His father and aunt, siblings of Irene, are planning to fly to Amsterdam to help repatriate the bodies with the assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines. Mr Pabellon said he wants to join them.
“For me, if I am given a chance, I want to go there also because even though I think they are gone, even the news says... I don’t believe for myself, I don’t believe because I don’t want to believe,” he said. “I want to see, then I will take it to my heart that they are gone.”
The family is carrying on with its plan to hold a family reunion July 22.
“They decided that before the family reunion, they are having a prayer meeting for that family,” he said. “But family reunion will still continue because that is tradition in our clan, but it’s not so happy this year. We are expecting that it will be more prayers for that reunion, like funeral.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
Roll of honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia Premiership season?
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Cup - Winners: Bahrain; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy - Winners: Dubai Hurricanes; Runners up: DSC Eagles
Final West Asia Premiership standings - 1. Jebel Ali Dragons; 2. Abu Dhabi Harlequins; 3. Bahrain; 4. Dubai Exiles; 5. Dubai Hurricanes; 6. DSC Eagles; 7. Abu Dhabi Saracens
Fixture (UAE Premiership final) - Friday, April 13, Al Ain – Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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Pakistan World Cup squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain
Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
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- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
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- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Emblem Storm, Oisin Murphy (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Wildman Jack, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Matterhorn, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Loxley, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
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Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
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The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
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0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani