Everyone is Alive and Accounted For in New York
It was a quiet morning in the office when a
co-worker asked me if there is a television and cable around because there
is a news that a plane hit the World Trade Center. We have such an
old TV and I could'nt get any channel from it so I hooked up the VCR to
an In Focus projector and the training room became a small theater where
everyone in the office watched things unfold in New York and Washington,
DC.
Meanwhile, I went back to my desk to write
a simple note to Inia who currently reside in Bangkok:
--- "Buzon, Valentino " <vbuzon@kpmg.ca>
wrote: ----
Hi Inia,
I just heard about the World
Trade Center plane crash. In case you haven't heard about it yet,
check the CNN if you have it down there.
Val
After a few minutes, got a reply from Inia:
-----Original Message-----
From: INIA ASUNCION [mailto:mavarinia@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001
10:31 AM
To: Buzon, Valentino
Subject: Re: World Trade Center
Dear Val,
Thanks for the info. Actually,
I just arrived from the Philippines and happened to turn on the TV to see
the news.
I'm a bit worried because one of
my cousins is working at the World Trade Center and she normally comes
to
the office at 8:30 am. The
first attacked happened at 8:45 am followed by the second attack at 9:15
am.
I tried to call all the numbers
of my relatives in NJ and Atlanta but all the lines are busy. I hope
and
pray that nothing happened to my
cousin.
I will send message to my friends
and colleagues to contact my relatives to check on my cousin.
I am supposed to leave on Sept.
13 for NY (JFK) but with this event, I'm not sure when the U.S. will open
the airports. Thank God I
extended my stay in the Philippines because my original booking, I should
be
arriving today in NY. God
is really Good!
I will keep you posted.
Best regards,
Inia
About an hour after she sent me another update
on her cousin with a good news. Her cousin happened to be on vacation
in Greece:
-----Original Message-----
From: INIA ASUNCION [mailto:mavarinia@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001
11:18 AM
To: vbuzon@kpmg.ca
Subject: Re: Fwd: Julie M Hayo/WT/Seabury
is out of the office.
Dear Val,
Thanks for your prayers. I
just got this message from my cousin. I'm glad that she is out of
the office.
Now I understand why God did not
give a Canadian visa to my parents. With all this horrible things
happening in the U.S., God has
only protected us.
I enjoyed my short vacation in the
Philippines. I just wish I did not come back this soon if I had known
what will happen in the U.S.
Definitely, my trip will be delayed
or postponed.
Take care,
Inia
>
> ------- Start of forwarded message
-------
>
> Subject: Julie M Hayo/WT/Seabury
is out of the
> office.
> To: Joy Mejias <jocelyn@mejias.com>
> From: julie.m.hayo@marshpm.com
> Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 08:42:52
-0500
>
> I will be out of the office from
09/03/2001 until
> 09/14/2001.
>
> Returning Sept. 17th. I
will have no access to e-mail and voice mail.
>
> ------- End of forwarded message
-------
The following day, I called Riz Bautista to
greet him a Happy Birthday. He said he's home early that day to stay
away from an officemate who mistaken him as a Mid-Eastern and has been
harrasing him. Other than that he seemed to be having a great birthday.
I sent an email to all our New York/New Jersey
batchmates but I know it was a crazy day for them and did not get a reply
on that day:
>From: "Buzon, Valentino "
>To: "'Chris Jornales-Zoni'" ,
"'Chris Jornales'" , "'Lei Garrido'" , "'Victor Edrosolan'" , "'Romeo Kabigting'"
, "Aurora Valderrama (E-mail)" , "Manolo Tuazon (E-mail)" , "Manny Pasco
(E-mail)" , "Rudy Nacianceno (E-mail)"
>CC: "'Fr. Erick Santos'"
>Subject: FW: World Trade Center
>Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 12:08:19
-0400
>
>Hello everyone.
>
>I pray and hope that all of you
are safe and all your friends and relatives
>down there are safe from the incident
in WTC. We're watching it in the news
>and I cannot believe what's happening
down there.
>
>Take care,
>
>Val
The next day got a forwarded message from Tess Parado from Lorelie Garrido
and an from Lei herself, too:
-----Original Message-----
From: Lorelie Garrido [mailto:loreliegarrido@netzero.net]
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001
10:21 AM
To: Felix Parado
Subject: Re: Just checking up on
you if you are okay...
We are all fine here. I worked just
in front of the WTC (Hudson river separating us) but we were evacuated
right after the 2nd plane crashed on Tower 2. Salamat sa concern.
Talk to you soon.
-----Original Message-----
From: Lorelie Garrido [mailto:loreliegarrido@netzero.net]
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001
8:48 PM
To: Buzon, Valentino
Subject: Re: Just checking up on
you if you are okay...
Hi Val,
I am okay and
thanks sa concern. I worked right across the WTC(for American Express),
the Hudson river separating the buildings. The World Financial Center
which is infront of the WTC(if you are on the Jersey side) is also an American
Express Building. About a year ago, we were transferred from the
World financial Center to the new building here in Jersey City(buti na
lang). We had a front view of what was happening last Tuesday and
it was horrible. I couldn't help but cry when I saw the first Tower
collapsed. We still do not have work up to now. The network
is not up and the main server is in World financial center and they are
thinking of mirroring the server to another place in Jersey. So eto
bakasyon. Sige, talk to you soon.
-Lei
I got a quick response from Manny Pasco and there is no words on Romeo
K yet.
-----Original Message-----
From: Manny Pasco [mailto:empasco@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 12,
2001 3:16 AM
To: vbuzon@kpmg.ca
Subject: Re: FW: World Trade Center
Sir Val,
Appreciate your concern about the
worst situation , yes our prayers will help for the safety of those who
are based there in NYC, I thank GOD cause our scheduled flight there is
this month-end, surely it will be postponed.
Im trying to call Bhoyet since
yesterday , but there was a network error.
Regards,
Manny Pasco
Finally two days after got a reply from Boyet who is still alive and
kicking and funny as ever:
-----Original Message-----
From: romeo kabigting [mailto:pelikula@msn.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001
7:46 PM
To: vbuzon@kpmg.ca
Subject: we're alive!!!
hey kuya,
thanks for your concern.
buhay kami nila victoria at manny. si vicky ay muntik nang madead.
his school is close to the wtc. nakiusyoso ang bruho and before he
knew it nagko-collapsed na ang towers. nagpanic ang mga tao and everyone
was running in different directions. nadaganan ang beauty queen.
mabuti na lang oks lang siya. member daw kasi siya ng destiny's child
na kumanta ng "survivor". nagmukha siyang espasol dahil naligo siya
sa abo. nag-uusap kami sa phone when it happened. di nga niya
alam. ako lang ang nagsabi dahil nakita ko sa t.v. sana nga
maglalunch kami. buti na lang maagang nangyari. vic said he
saw human flesh, hair, skin on the street and on top of cars. he
saw people jumping out of the towers too.
despite all that,
nakuha pa rin naming tumawa. otherwise, maloloka rin lang naman kami
di ba? si manny nasa eroplano at that time and ready for take off
na. he was supposed to go to florida to pick up his mom from his
sister. ayun, pinababa rin silang lahat. he decided not
to leave until oct daw. natakot ang bruha sa mga hijackers.
salamat nang marami
uli sa inyong pag-aalala. buhay ang mga virgins ng new york.
as for kristeta kubeta, andoon siya sa maynila noong july pa at di namin
alam kung kelan ang balik. lalo pa raw natakot ngayon dahil alam
niyang maghihigpit sa port of entry.
anyway, just when
we thought na safe kami rito tapos ganito. puwede ba lilipat na lang
kami diyan at ampunin mo kami>?
boyet
Thank God that everyone in our group is safe and well.
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