KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 – The Philippines, which lost three of its citizens in the MH17 tragedy, will fly its national flag at half-mast tomorrow at its embassy here in memory of the passengers and crew of the ill-fated Malaysian Airlines MH17 flight.
This is in keeping with unity and respect in light of the Day of National Mourning declared by the Malaysian government, the embassy said in a statement to Bernama.”We join the Malaysian Government and people as they pay their respects to those who perished in the flight, and we also remember the three Filipinos who were also aboard,” it said.
Filipina Irene Pabellon-Gunawan and her two children, Darryl Dwight and Sherryl Shania, were en route to the Philippines via Kuala Lumpur for a family reunion.
“The officers and staff of the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and as a next-door neighbour and a brother in Asean, extend their heartfelt condolences to the Malaysian Government and people, especially to the bereaved families of the passengers and crew aboard MH17,” the embassy said.
Flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17 as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft is believed to have been shot down over the troubled country.
Besides Malaysians and the Filipinos, nationals from the Netherlands,Australia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Canada and New Zealand were among the 298 people on board.
– BERNAMA
