OFW who saved infant in Hong Kong high-rise fire returns home, welcomed at NAIA

• Filipina domestic worker Rhodora Alcaraz arrived in the Philippines after rescuing a 3-month-old baby during a deadly Hong Kong fire
• President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos met Alcaraz at NAIA during the opening of new airport facilities
• The November blaze killed at least 160 people and is considered the world’s deadliest residential fire since 1980
• Police have arrested multiple individuals linked to construction work and faulty fire alarms at the apartment complex

Rhodora Alcaraz, the Filipina domestic worker who saved a 3-month-old baby during a massive apartment fire in Hong Kong, returned to the Philippines on Tuesday and received a warm welcome at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Her arrival coincided with the opening of new facilities at NAIA, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and officials from the Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration were present.

Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos led the distribution of tokens to overseas Filipino workers, with both separately meeting Alcaraz during the event.

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It remains unclear whether the President extended financial or other forms of assistance to Alcaraz and her family, as the Presidential Communications Office has yet to respond to queries as of posting.

Alcaraz gained international attention after the November 26 fire at W@ng Fuk Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong.

The blaze engulfed the high-rise apartment complex and claimed at least 160 lives, marking it as the deadliest residential building fire globally since 1980.

During the incident, Alcaraz, a 28-year-old newly arrived domestic worker, protected her employers’ infant by wrapping the baby in a wet blanket while they were trapped inside a smoke-filled room for several hours.

She was later rescued by firefighters and hospitalized following the ordeal. Her sister, Raychelle Loreto, earlier shared details of the rescue.

Members of the Filipino community in Hong Kong praised Alcaraz’s bravery, with many describing her as a "modern-day hero." Despite the attention, Alcaraz declined to give media interviews and requested privacy.

Authorities said the fire was intensified by renovation materials, including non-fire-resistant netting and foam boards. Police have since arrested 15 individuals for m@nslaughter and six others over malfunctioning fire alarms.

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In another development, Quezon City police have taken into custody a 20-year-old homeless woman linked to the December 10 kidnapping of 19-month-old Kiana Jane. While the suspect is now detained, the child remains missing, heightening the anguish of her parents as authorities intensify search efforts across Novaliches. Investigators said the suspect allegedly befriended the child’s parents outside a store, offered to buy them food, and then took the toddler while claiming she needed to run a brief errand. The girl’s father, Melvin Lorejas, has made an emotional appeal to the public, urging anyone with information or possible sightings of his daughter to immediately reach out to police or their family.

In a separate incident, a 28-year-old worker in Barangay Sipac-Almacen, Navotas, was seriously injured after her left arm was caught in an industrial dough-rolling machine. She remained trapped in the heavy equipment for nearly an hour as nearby residents desperately attempted to dismantle the rollers using improvised tools. Firefighters from the Navotas Fire Station’s specialized rescue unit later arrived and used hydraulic extrication equipment, freeing her arm in about five minutes. The woman was rushed to a hospital after losing consciousness, and her family said she is now suffering from severe psychological trauma along with swelling in the injured limb.

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Source: KAMI.com.gh