RIYADH, 14 May 2003 — Only two Filipinos were confirmed dead in the Monday night bomb attacks here but the Philippine Embassy yesterday expressed fears that the toll could rise.

Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Bahnarim Guinomla said as many as 16 other Filipinos were injured and there were unconfirmed reports of more casualties in the blast that was reported to have killed at least 30 people, many of them Americans.

Most of the Filipino victims worked as maintenance personnel at the Al-Hamra residential compound, which housed mostly Westerners.

Filipino community leaders identified the two fatalities as Rogelio Pababero, about 60 years old, and Julio Tamilo. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, quoting a report by the embassy in Riyadh, identified the second dead victim as Getulio Templo.

Pababero, who is from Lucena City in Quezon province, worked with Jadawel International, under operations and maintenance as a water treatment plant operator.

Hipolito Dacanay, a mechanical service engineer of Jadawel, said Pababero had been working in the Kingdom for the last 12 years.

Pababero’s family in Lucena has been notified by Dacanay, who was the victim’s supervisor.

Tamilo was reported to be an electronic and communications expert working with Vinnell Arabia, said a Filipino woman community leader from the National Guard Hospital, where the victim was brought for treatment.

Among the injured Filipinos were Serafin Garcia, who was said to be in serious condition; and Aurora Batigan, a domestic helper at Al-Hamra compound, who suffered minor injuries and bruises.

Batigan was inside the compound when the bomb went off.

“Two of her colleagues were lucky as they were out of the compound at the time of the attacks,” another Filipino working at the compound told Arab News.

Some of the other injured victims were identified as Williano Joson, Pesulio Urbanes Jr., Yousef Virtudan and Jose Dayrit.

Ambassador Guinomla said they were still being treated in hospitals while the others had been discharged.

Joson and Urbanes underwent surgery for broken bones and Dayrit was treated for sprains, Guinomla said.

“Their conditions are not serious,” he said.

In Manila, Foreign Secretary Blas Ople expressed confidence that Saudi authorities would “track down the terrorists and ensure the safety of the 900,000 Filipinos there.”

“The Philippines condemns in the strongest terms the dastardly bombing in Riyadh,” Ople said.