Family mourns maid killed in HK saving boy hit by bus
A domestic helper who made the ultimate sacrifice to save the life of a boy in her care in Hong Kong will be buried in the Philippines today.
Mother-of-one Juanita Limbago, 31, had been working in the city for less than three months when she was killed after throwing herself in front of a bus to shield the six-year-old boy she was taking to school in Kowloon Tong.
Limbago and her distraught husband, Edwin, 35, who also works overseas, in Qatar, were typical of thousands of Filipinos who travel overseas to earn more money for their families.
They had planned to work for a few years until they had saved enough to return to Manila and start their own business.
'Juanita wanted to work abroad to help me,' Edwin said as he prepared for the funeral.
The last time he had talked to her on her mobile phone was a few days before the accident. 'I told her to take care always. I told her I missed her and I wanted so very much to embrace her,' he said.
Edwin said that they had another son, but Juanita lost the baby eight months into her pregnancy.
A second tragedy in the family had deeply affected their eight-year-old son Marc, he said. 'He was shocked. He started blaming the son of her employer, the bus driver, and God. Why did God take his mum when he had already taken away his brother?'
'I explained to Marc, 'Son, don't blame God. Your mum was taken away by God because she has a mission with God'. Now, Marc is the one telling the other kids not to cry,' he said.
At about 10.30am on June 10, Limbago was in Kowloon City taking her employers' son to his school bus. However, a bus driven by a 54-year-old man, which was travelling along Waterloo Road, hit the pair at the junction with Lincoln Road.
Witnesses said Limbago had grabbed the child and used her body as a shield before the bus hit them. Both were dragged along the road under the bus as the driver was not aware he had hit anyone. He only stopped when a passer-by who saw the accident ran out onto the road.
Limbago was seriously injured and taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital unconscious. She later died of her injuries.
The boy was also taken to the same hospital and has since made a full recovery.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death and released on police bail of HK$5,000. He is due to report back to police on July 7.
A spokeswoman for the Philippine consulate said: 'Just before the bus hit them, Juanita grabbed the child to save him. She had no thought for her own safety at all. Her actions prove how much domestic workers care for the children they are looking after here in Hong Kong.'
She said Filipino helpers came to Hong Kong for financial reasons but they became part of the family they served and in many cases they happily served the same family for many years.
'What happened to Juanita really is a tragedy but she is also an inspiration. You can do no more than give your life for the child you are looking after.'
The Chinese family who employed Limbago were too upset to comment, but the consulate said they had enjoyed a very good relationship with Limbago in the short time they knew her and believed that she was a very kind person.
They were still coming to terms with the shock of her death.
